Black Sun Kittens
by M.E. Grimm
Summary: The Cataclysm of Salem has ended, but the story continues with Blake, Sun, and their two children, Dawn and Dusk as they grow and flourish in this brave new world. Contains lightly implied sexual situations, but is mostly tame. Spiritual successor to "findyourownliberation"'s M-rated fanfic: "For the Rest of Our Lives." Reviews and critiques are much appreciated!
1. Baker of Cookies and Slayer of Monsters

**Author's Greetings: Hello everyone, and thank you so very, very much for spending some of your time reading this little story I decided to throw together. A quick shout-out to fellow author "findyourownliberation;" whose tastefully written M-rated Blake x Sun fanfic "For the Rest of Our Lives" served as the inspiration for me to write this story as its spiritual successor.**

 **The set-up for mine is basic enough. All this story consists of is a simple morning in the Blake x Sun household roughly eight years after their graduation from Beacon and subsequent marriage. Much like what was implied at the end of "For the Rest of Our Lives," Blake and Sun live with their two children, Dawn and Dusk. More on their attributes will be explained in-story and in any possible follow-up chapters I may write in the future (though that possibility is extremely unlikely, as I am currently trying to focus on my own original stories.).**

 **Thanks goes out to:**

 **-My real-life friend and partner in crime, iffritman, for all his support and encouragement whenever I'm down in the writing dumps.**

 **\- "findyourownliberation," whose sweet, lemony smut reminded her/his readers that motherhood and parenthood can still be beautiful when placed it as the product of a healthy sexual and romantic relationship. (Also to "Dark Hope Assassin" for writing about this subject as well in "Fatherhood is Harder Than Godliness.")**

 **\- All the struggling mothers and fathers out there in the world who work tirelessly on a daily basis to provide their children with happiness as well as the strength to make their own. (Happy late Mother's Day, btw!)**

 **\- Mamoru Hosoda for creating "Wolf Children" and inspiring me to write from the perspective of a mother for once (This is a challenge! Try writing a mother character for once, people!).**

 **\- Monty Oum, who gave colors to the world so I could learn how to make my own.**

 **Hope you all enjoy! ;)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter One: Baker of Cookies and Slayer of Giant Monsters)**_

xXx

Daybreak poured through the gossamer white curtains as Sun Wukong's eyes flitted open. He squinted from the light's gentle intensity, inhaling sharply as he felt his body return to his conscious control. Mornings were not his favorite part of the day, but as his dark gray eyes adjusted themselves to the light's brilliance, he found himself treated to a sight that never ceased to send his heart aflutter.

Beside him laid his wife, Blake Belladonna, sleeping soundly beneath the covers of their queen-sized bed, her dark hair flowing every which-way about the bed sheets in strands of purest midnight. Her chest rose and fell with each tranquil breath, mesmerizing him like watching the gentle, silent rise and fall of ocean tides. From where he laid, the covers slipped slightly from her shoulders to expose a sliver of her cream-white skin, reminding him with a blush that she wore no clothes beneath the bed sheets.

He chuckled, remembering the night before with a mischievous grin. It was nigh midnight when she returned from her team mission and appeared in their bedroom still clad in her Huntress's uniform, slightly swaying from the exhaustion clearly weighing upon her form. For some fleeting seconds, the two simply stared at each other. Then Sun laughed heartily as he placed his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow towards his disheveled wife. "Long mission?"

She said nothing, reaching him in five quick strides and promptly locking her lips against his. A famished traveler finding nourishment for the first time in eternity.

Their lovemaking that night was passionate, but tender, sweet, and intimate. By the time they collapsed onto their bed and allowed the night to weigh their weary minds to sleep, he could see the tension in her shoulders vanish at his touch, the bags beneath her eyes soften at his smile, and the small wrinkles in her brow smooth upon his caress.

She pressed her temple compassionately against his as she gazed into his eyes, allowing him to drink in those incredible golden disks as they skirted across his features and flashed with happiness. "It's good to be home again, Sun…"

Sun shushed her with a finger, then pressed his lips against her crown of pitch-black hair. "Just rest now. We'll talk more in the morning."

Now, here the morning was the same as always following her late-night returns: with Blake sleeping soundly as Sun sat back and observed her in the natural radiance of the morning light.

Eight years. It amazed him that time could change so much and yet detract so little from the boundless love he still held for her. That they still held for each other.

Blake shifted suddenly, rolling slightly onto her side to reveal more of herself from the cover of the sheets as Sun realized his error in believing she was sleeping beside him nude. In reality, it seemed she'd awoken sometime earlier in the morning, taken a shower- attributing to the healthy shine of her hair and the distinct scent of lavender upon her skin- and slipped on a white camisole and matching pair of panties before falling back into bed to continue her slumber. His blush lingered as he grinned at the image of Blake going through all her motions half-conscious, not fully opening her eyes once, even while washing herself in the shower. At the same time it was a ritual of theirs when she returned home from a mission that the two of them would… "rediscover" one another in the waters of a cleansing bath. Missing the chance to stand with her beneath the showerhead as they embraced bothered Sun, and sadly, no amount of her sweet lavender scent could ever reimburse him of this lost opportunity.

Sun disregarded his regret as he watched his wife roll onto her back, unintentionally causing her modest bust to strain tightly against the thin fabric of her white camisole. Somehow, arousal didn't instinctively take hold in his mind as he watched her shapely mounds rise and fall with her serene breaths. Even upon noticing the slight indentations of rosy-pink protruding against the cloth at the apexes of her breasts, it didn't trouble him knowing he felt such serenity while observing her natural form rather than powerful lust. Instead, he indulged a spontaneous urge to scoot forward to brush some of Blake's black locks from her lips, which had parted ever so slightly as she engaged in hushed conversations in her sleep.

"Ruby… keep that mutt away from my… trap card..." She mumbled under her breath before abruptly groaning, her expression contorting in annoyance. "She isn't old enough for those yet...Yang, put them... back in the… tuna salad…"

Sun found it amusingly easy to imagine those conversations taking place in an ordinary day amongst the members of team RWBY- aside from how they concluded, of course. Could one expect anything less from a Huntress team consisting of a Schnee heiress, a former White Fang member, a voluptuous pugilist and her scythe-wielding prodigy of a little sister as the leader? His warm smile came unbidden at the memories they had; of their adventures, of their battles, and the comradery entrenched between them all. He couldn't imagine a better group of friends for Blake and him to have, nor a better group of guardians for their-

Suddenly, somewhere in the house, something landed on the floor with a soft thump.

Sun knew the sound all too well, and it suddenly dawned on him he was the only one in the room completely naked. With a fevered blush, he shifted his legs under the covers to fish for his boxers, but to no avail. They'd been carelessly cast aside last night as he and his wife undressed one another in their passionate flurry.

' _Damn it, where did they go?'_ He didn't have much time to clothe himself before-

Something flew onto his face, shrouding everything in darkness. The familiar aroma of his Samurai Shampoo body spray wafted into his nostrils. He removed the mysterious fabric resting atop his head, realizing it to be none other than the very boxers he'd been looking for.

Beside him, Sun watched a cat-like grin form in the corner of Blake's lips. She rearranged her top with her outstretched arm, rotated onto her stomach, and settled herself back against her pillow with an amused sigh. "You're welcome, 'sweetie'..."

Sun smiled, then wriggled himself into his boxers, falling back to his pillow with an exaggerated huff. "Well, thank you, 'Honeybunches.'"

Blake giggled profusely, unable to feign sleep as she turned to her husband flashing a smile brighter than a million brilliant stars. The sound of her laughter rang in his ears like the immaculate tinkling of a thousand gentle bells as her amber eyes shimmered with only the purest happiness, dancing to each heavenly note rising from her elegant throat. Eventually, they steadied themselves upon Sun as she let out a final, relieved breath. Neither spoke a word as the air of tranquility sustained itself by only their gazes, a language in which words were rendered unnecessary.

Before he knew it, Sun leaned himself forward to press his lips tenderly against Blake's, which swiftly parted to allow her soft tongue to tangle affectionately with his. Her hand rose to caress the growing blonde scruff along his sharp jawline, to which Sun responded in kind by brushing her wild black bangs behind her human ear and deepening the kiss. Like this, they continued for an unknown amount of time before parting with one final, intimate peck.

Sun hovered above his wife, marveling at the incredible luck he had that this incredible woman- a fellow Faunus, no less- vowed to be his in every possible way; body, mind and soul. And even crazier to believe, he had long ago promised the same to her. Blake pondered similar thoughts as she held Sun's face delicately within her slender fingers, giggling as he suddenly flashed one of his trademark pirate smiles. "What're you smiling at?"

"Oh, don't you think for a second it's because of you." He said, turning his eyes up to something near the bedroom hallway. Being the naturally curious half-feline Faunus she was, Blake of course tried following his line of sight to whatever it was he saw. However, when she did, Blake found herself suddenly stopped by Sun with a whisper. "Don't look now."

Now she was truly intrigued. She mouthed with a grin: _What is it?_

Sun looked to Blake, then off to the open doorway where he saw what made him smile move back into sight: A long black tail arcing into the air and two darling cat's ears protruding from a head of wild gold curls, flicking and twitching like little twin radars to every conceivable sound in the room.

"Are they awake?" whispered the voice of a young girl, but spoken with none of the discretion of quiet talking, "Well, Dusk?"

"I-I don't know, Dawn!" said the hushed voice of an even younger boy, stammering with anxiety as Sun noticed the golden ears suddenly mobilize into the room with the snaking black tail. "Wait- Dawn, stop!"

The ears and tail halted abruptly between the hallway and the foot of the bed. "What, Dusk, what?"

"Well… what if you wake them up?" Dusk, the little boy, said in a low, concerned tone. "I don't wanna get mama mad at us 'cause she's tired…"

Sun's eyes rolled back to his wife, grinning goofily as he watched her beam from her son's heartfelt concerns. The voice belonging to the girl called Dawn, though, did not share the sentiments of her mother, and she let out a sigh upon hearing her little brother's remark. "Dusk, of all the dumb things you could be afraid of, that's without a doubt the stupidest."

It took incredible self-restraint for the resting couple to stifle their rising laughter.

Dusk began to reply, "But-"

"Just pipe down, scaredy-cat, we're right here."

The tail traversed the remaining distance to arrive at the foot of the bed, disappearing beneath the footboard promptly after. Sun didn't need to signal for Blake to lay her head back down before he did so himself. These were practiced feats from years of playing this same harmless game, and as such, their actions were executed almost in perfect synchronization. Both slid their eyes shut, eased themselves into the plush cushions of their queen-sized bed, and steadied their breathing to barely detectable whispers as silence blanketed the room.

Then, "Holding on tight, Dusk?"

There was barely an audible shifting of fabric. "Mhmm."

"Alright, here we go."

A sound of swift motion, then the gentle creaking of the bed as two new weights were abruptly added onto its plush surface near Sun's and Blake's feet. Sun could feel Dawn as she lowered herself to all fours after hearing the slight disturbance of the mattress. "Think they heard that, Dusk?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, me neither," said Dawn. "Let's keep going."

The decline of the mattress near Sun's legs traveled tentatively upwards before coming to a halt between himself and his wife, after which he heard a hushed grunt of effort from a small voice that could only belong to Dusk. It was at that moment when he decided to open one of his eyes and take a secret gander at the events unfolding.

From behind his left eye, he was treated to the sight of his firstborn daughter of seven years, Dawn, as she crouched to allow her little brother of six, Dusk, to navigate down from where he clung to her lithe back one careful handful of her nightgown at a time.

Silently, he watched as the little boy dropped himself to all fours without so much as an errant creak rising from the mattress springs. Then, Dawn maneuvered herself back, allowing Dusk enough space to crawl before the resting form of their mother. Sitting himself on his haunches, Dusk inspected Blake carefully with the wide, amber-gold eyes he inherited from her and carefully lifted a tiny, dimpled hand up to slide gently across her cheek. Satisfied then that he had not disturbed her, Dusk then leaned himself forward and planted his lips delicately upon Blake's flushed cheek before nudging himself against her, crawling tightly into a ball, and burying his face snugly beneath the crook of her arm.

After watching Dusk settle, Dawn cast her long black hair over her left shoulder before laying herself down to join her little brother, wrapping her prehensile tail around the three of them as she let out one final, contented huff.

Sun was unsure if Dusk or Dawn noticed the chuckle emanating from the bottom of his throat as he watched the two, but he quickly found it didn't matter. Be it that she had actually fallen back to sleep or had simply grown weary of retaining her deceptive state, Blake chose that moment to reach across the resting forms of her children, pulling them both into a warm embrace and catching them both off-guard.

Dusk reacted first, his shock of golden hair snapping up after feeling Blake's toned arm brush against his feline ears. "M-Mama-!"

"Morning, baby," said Blake, planting a kiss tenderly upon Dusk's forehead while also running her outstretched hand across Dawn's cheek. "I missed you kittens, you know..."

Dawn received her mother's hand lovingly within her own, pressing it closely against her skin as though to remind herself of every callous or smooth detail she might have forgotten over the month-long period of absence. After re-committing its shape to memory, Dawn promptly grinned and gave Dusk a mild, scolding shove. "Told you she wouldn't be mad."

Dusk whipped around to shoot a glare at his elder sister, but was quickly turned back by Blake as she descended to plant another gentle peck atop his crown of golden curls. His eyes rolled shut, and he leaned into her kiss with a glowing smile. "I'm glad you're home again, mama."

Blake hummed a good-natured chuckle. "I'll bet. It must be exhausting being around your father all the time, huh?"

Dusk agreed to this rather quickly with a series of obstinate nods, much to Sun's amusement and dismay.

"That's just 'cause you like to stay indoors all the time and dad made you go exercise with us," said Dawn, rolling her eyes.

"Papa never makes food right! He messes up our scrambled eggs and always makes fruity meals with no salmon or tuna!" cried Dusk to Blake, laying his head in her arms and encouraging her with subtle nudges to run her hands through his hair once more. "I miss eating not-burnt cookies..."

Blake obliged Dusk with a series of soft giggles, petting and scratching his errant blonde curls as she turned her gaze to Sun and lifted a scrutinizing brow. "Burnt cookies, Sun? Really?"

"Pre-packaged ones, too. In those little cookie dough squares," he heard Dawn say as she, too, turned and lifted a disapproving brow towards him. "The directions were on the box. It should have been easy."

Their accusing stares burrowing holes into his head, Sun turned himself away from both girls' glares with a guilty blush. He remembered with an uneasy chuckle his attempt at making simple sugar cookies and the unevenly burnt disks he produced as a result. The smell didn't leave the house for a full day, even with every window in the house opened to air out the acrid atmosphere.

He cleared his throat, glancing back to his wife without actually meeting her eyes. "... I, uh, didn't know the difference between a convection oven and a toaster oven, okay?"

"Dad, those cookies were really hard."

"Sue me," Sun lifted his hands, "I didn't know."

"Well, I'm home now," said Blake, interrupting the two before redirecting her attention to the children in her arms, "And you two know what that means, right?"

"Fruit pancakes!" Dawn exclaimed as she raised her arms in victory and fell backwards onto the bed.

"Okay, fruit pancakes for the lady," said Blake, laughing warmly as she turned to Dusk and brushed a few golden curls from his face, "And for my little kitten...?"

Dusk also lifted his arms in glee and, being the demure boy he was, let out only the smallest and most sincere of joyful cries as he answered with, "Sausage biscuits!"

"Okay, I know we've got sausage and I think I've got some... biscuits left..." Blake tapped her chin as she thought aloud, but a gaping yawn overtook her before she could finish. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just still... still a little tired..."

"Mom, you can keep on sleeping, you know." Dawn said, reassuring her with a casual shrug. "We can wait if you want. It's just breakfast."

Blake's eyes snapped themselves open as her daughter spoke, clearly forcing herself to ward off sleep and also clearly struggling to do so. "O-Oh baby, no, if you guys want something-"

"Babe."

Her attention snapped to Sun. "What?"

Sun smiled and gestured at her. "You're doing it again."

Blake shook her head, looking more than a little confused and drowsy as she cocked her head sideways. "Doing what?"

"You know..." Sun rolled his hands around, trying to find the correct word in his vocabulary.

"Worrying about us," Dawn blurted out when she grew tired of waiting for her father to speak. "Right when you get back home. Or just worrying in general right when you get back home."

Dusk used this moment to speak up as well, taking Blake's hand as he looked up to her with utmost concern. "Mama, if you need to sleep, then you should really sleep."

Blake's mouth hung open, an incomplete argument already prepared. But as she turned from her son's brilliant golden eyes looking up to her with selfless worry, to her daughter's sardonically lifted brow awaiting her response, then finally to her shirtless husband beyond the two as he simply smiled sweetly and gave a helpless shrug; she slowly clasped her lips shut and smiled.

She lifted a hand to her face, embarrassed, and chuckled. "Agh, I _did_ do it again."

Blake's laughter was soon joined by Dusk's and Dawn's, rising and filling the room with its gentle, subdued sound.

Sun set himself back and watched his family in silence, his heart swelling with unbounded love and pride as he did. Blake's smile, beautiful beyond his own powers of description, was luminous like a sun unto itself, with its brilliant glow reflected by the faces of her two children as they reveled in her returned presence. For a moment he wondered, if his life might have turned out differently in the past, could it have ever granted him just a fraction of the happiness he felt in this single moment? In this life where he watched this indescribably beautiful woman, once a tortured soul hell-bent on carrying the weight of the world's injustices upon her shoulders, lift herself from the darkness to become one of the greatest Huntresses of their age? Where she, in a moment of helplessness and fear, took his outstretched hand and confided in him, nothing more than a stowaway she bumped into on the street, to eventually become a friend, an ally, a lover, and mother to two beautiful children? Where she found happiness with him in raising them to stand strong against the dark times and to make the most of the moments they would have during the good?

What other kind of life could possibly grant him a more meaningful purpose than this one? The father of her children and the light of her life?

Sun knew he didn't need to answer.

The laughter died down to a mutual silence accepted between Blake, Dawn, and Dusk. The three spent a moment content in each other's presence before Blake whispered sweetly into their ears, "You two are the best kids a mother could ask for, you know that?"

She then lifted her head to find Sun's face mere centimeters apart from hers, his steel gray eyes shimmering with unyielding affection as they fixed themselves on her. Blake felt her heart race beneath her breast as he stared, and tried to turn her fevered blushing away from his powerful gaze but failed as he casually turned her cheek back towards him. Oh, how they gazed upon her, those stormy grey eyes flashing with only the most powerful love and affection as they met hers. Blake couldn't help but feel as though she were a princess adored by her handsome prince, a queen beloved by her noble king, or a goddess revered by her faithful tenant. When she thought of Sun's boundless adoration of her in that way, how could she not find herself falling in love with him all over again? "You know-"

Sun pulled Blake's lips to his without warning, which amplified the viral nature of her laughter as he shared it with her generously. Their tongues tangled languidly amongst one another, slowly, lazily, yet lovingly, cherishingly, sometimes even reverently as they wrestled with a gentle fervency.

The sudden sounds of mock gagging abruptly reminded them of Dawn's presence.

"Aw, geez, dad, save that for when we're _not_ here, okay?" said Dawn, sticking out her tongue at Sun as she casually crawled between the two and sat herself down defiantly. "You know none of us wanna see that."

"What don't you want to see? Proof that your father and I love each other dearly?" said Blake with a laugh. She looked back to Sun quickly after and leaned forward until her lips almost touched his with a playful smile. "You think that's just silly, don't you, dear?"

"Mmhmm…" Sun replied, his answer muffled as he accepted his spouse's kiss. Below him, Dawn let out a groan of discontent and tried pushing them apart, to which Sun promptly responded by offhandedly pressing his palm against her face and unceremoniously shoving her down onto the pillows.

"Hey!" cried Dawn, hoisting herself onto her elbows to glare at her father. "What was that for?"

"You said you didn't like it, fine. Watch from there and don't bother us," said Sun with a grin before returning to Blake and pulling her forehead against his.

Their lips came within tantalizing distance from one another when Dawn lept up to grab the two in her arms. "Now! Help me, Dusk!"

At this, the blushing boy grinned widely and lunged forward, pushing everyone backwards as instructed. Together, they hit the bed in a fit of laughter as they wriggled and writhed against each other; Blake taking Dusk into her arms and nipping lightly at his golden ears as he squealed in delight while Sun ran his fingers across Dawn, tickling her relentlessly as she contorted desperately to escape his embrace.

Time passed beyond everyone's notice as the children eventually exhausted themselves and fell back to rest in content silence. Dusk unsurprisingly reclaimed his spot against his mother while Dawn curled up against Sun's broad chest with a huff and a sigh before settling. As Blake felt Dawn's and Dusk's squirms fall still, she turned her head up to Sun as he silently ran a careful hand through their daughter's long, pitch black hair. She knew her husband's thoughts well, and spoke his mind before he had the chance. "Her hair grew long while I was out."

"Mmhmm. I keep telling her to cut it, but-"

"I like my long ponytail. No one takes away my long ponytail," said Dawn before falling silent just as quickly as she had spoken.

"Yeah." Sun nodded and shrugged. "That."

Blake chuckled lightly, then turned down to where Dusk had already miraculously fallen asleep with the back of his head pressed snugly against her modest bosom. She reached down and twirled one of his golden locks with a slender index before navigating upwards to the blonde fluff behind one of his feline ears. A sleepy grin spread warmly across the beautiful boy's face. "And this one got bigger..."

Sun's large hand met hers and squeezed gently. Blake turned up to face him with a small smile painted bittersweetly across her countenance, feeling a small lump in her throat bulge gently before swallowing it. "I'm…"

"Mhmm?" asked Sun softly, immediately, clenching her hand as though he could feel her resurfacing sadness through just his touch. "What is it, Blake?"

Her thumb curled upwards to stroke Sun's fingers as hers pressed themselves against the scalp of young boy beneath her hand. The sensation of Dusk's wild locks curling around her fingernails soothed her as it always had, allowing her to take in a slow, deep breath and exhale with a long, cathartic sigh. "I'm… I'm glad I'm back home, Sun."

Sun's responding chuckle was a low rumble of a laugh. Never loud, always quiet, understanding in a way assuring her he was always listening even if it seemed he couldn't take anything else in the world remotely seriously. The gloom which set upon Blake ever so briefly vanished at its sound, allowing her resulting smile to shine forth brightly and without hindrance. This was it. As her husband dispelled the remnants of her worry and she felt the soft rise and fall of her children's chests as they slept in her arms, Blake was thankful to know one thing to be true beyond all other truths:

She was back home with her family, and was infinitely happy to be so.

Blake's exhaustion swiftly returned with this revelation, threatening to carry her immediately into her much-needed slumber even as she planted a final kiss atop the heads of each of her children.

"We're all glad you're back, babe," said Sun.

Her eyes met Sun's as she laid her head back down, pausing before locking her lips with his.

"I am, too," said Blake with a small smile.

The surrounding warmth of their family overcame their abilities to remain awake any longer. Hand in hand, Blake and Sun slipped swiftly into a dreamless sleep.


	2. I Bet My Life

**Author's Greetings: Lots of inner turmoil on my side of the world over the past few months, but I have finally come to a resolution. What I mean is that, as a writer, the time has come for me that all writers must face at one point in their lives or another.**

 **That time when you realize that if you want to become a serious writer, you have to start writing that novel idea of yours.**

 **Or in my case, start writing your fanfic as though it were a novel.**

 **Yes, I am tackling the novel-writing business for the first time in my life and I am doing it with my other fanfic: "Eternal Autumn." Haven't read it? Go give it a look-see when you're done here, chances are you'll enjoy it.**

 **So yeah, from here until I have written the final sentence in the rough draft, I am placing "Eternal Autumn" into a writer's lockdown. No more chapters will be uploaded for that story until the final draft is completed and excised hopefully by this time next year, after which I will upload them one at a time on a regular basis.**

 **Fret not, though! Between the breaks of writing my "novel," I will continue writing side short-stories such as the ones I have been writing for "Black Sun Kittens." Even now I am wrestling with a new short-story idea in my head that I will begin writing as soon as I get through with at least the next three chapters of the "novel."**

 **Until then, here's a chapter with a healthy dose of feels, inspired by tromboneking87's AMV of the song by "Imagine Dragons." Don't forget to fave, follow, or leave a comment!**

 **(P.S., When I talk about "The Cataclysm" in my fanfics, that's me referring to whatever final climactic battle the show seems to be leading up to that the girls will face but that we have no idea of the details. Non-specific events are the fanfiction writer's saving grace. No one can say it's not canon! XD)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Two: I Bet My Life**_ _ **)**_

xXx

 _Seven months after the events of Chapter One…_

 _The last thing he remembered was the first time he saw her. It was a Wednesday. Yes, through the throbbing and ebbing waves of consciousness, the memory flickered to life behind his eyes. That day. He would never forget that bloody Wednesday. Not one second of his life went by when he didn't think about it. When he didn't think about her. Out of worry, regret, or pride, she always managed to cross his mind in one way or another._

 _He never got to tell her. She would never hear him say how proud of her he was, and the pain he felt from that truth made the loss of his right arm seem like a pinprick in comparison._

" _He held them all off… he held off every last one of them-"_

" _Stop with your gawking and hold this! I'm gonna try and stop the bleeding!"_

" _He saved us all…"_

 _The ground jolted and he felt weightless for the briefest of seconds. It returned with an abrupt force that clicked his teeth and bounced his eyes in his sockets. That's right, he thought, I held them off. I held them off while the workers and their families escaped._

 _What was I thinking about again?_

 _He remembered, and a sudden warmth in his chest halted the creeping chill at the edge of his senses._

 _Oh right._

 _Her._

 _No one expected the violence that Wednesday. The White Fang would later publicly blame Vale authorities for not taking prior precautions against local Faunus hate groups. He would never admit aloud that he could find at least one small understanding on Vale's part. There was no way anyone could have expected there to be so many of them._

 _At the time he was only nine, an apprentice under the training of his master. The weapon he brought wasn't even a sharpened blade, but in the heat of the moment, anything that could stop a bludgeon proved useful. The splinter of protesters he followed found an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city to take shelter in after what seemed like an eternity of running. People who didn't have any serious injuries were immediately recruited to aid the medics with the many, many wounded._

 _He walked around the room, his anger festering with each horror-stricken face he passed._

 _Then, between two recuperating protesters, he noticed a girl sitting against the wall, her legs hugged tightly against her chest. She rocked back and forth to an unending rhythm and when he listened closely, he could just barely make out her soft mewling through the cacophony of misery pervading the building. Neither adult sitting on either side of the girl seemed to be paying any mind to her. She didn't belong to them. A girl who seemed no older than seven couldn't have come to the protest alone, there was no way._

 _Where were her parents?_

 _He sat down gingerly in front of the mewling girl and carefully slid his hands along her arms. "Hey."_

 _Her head snapped up. Her golden eyes, red from too many tears, fixed on him with doe-like terror, amplifying the deathly pallor of her pale face. She hadn't seen a ghost but after the things that happened today, he was sure she'd seen things much, much worse._

 _He heard the slam of her back against the wall as she dug her dirty sneakers into the ground. She kept pushing and pushing in spite of the obstacle preventing her from moving any further. Her breaths were labored and ragged with renewed fear. He hadn't understood what true terror was, but he imagined it must have sounded something like the weak whimpering he could hear beneath her gasps and heaves._

" _Shhh, shhh, it's okay, it's okay..." His rough hands glided along her smooth, soft skin as he crooned on with as many reassurances as his nine-year-old mind could conjure. It took some time, but her little face gradually regained a fraction of its natural cream-white color and her eyes softened back into two golden halos shimmering with fresh moisture. In the back of his mind, he felt proud of himself. It wasn't every day he could say he calmed someone down from a panic._

" _Wh-Who are you?" asked the girl softly._

 _He smiled wide as he answered. "Name's Adam. Adam Taurus. What's yours?"_

 _The girl brought up a hand and messily wiped her nose across her face, running it through her unkempt waves of raven-black hair. Adam watched a little pair of black kitten's ears perk up atop her head and felt the warmth of affection bloom inside of his chest at the sight._

" _Blake," answered the girl._

" _Just Blake? No last name?"_

 _She shook her head vigorously. "N-no, my last name's Belladonna."_

" _Oh, okay." He chuckled and ruffled her hair with one hand. "For a moment there, I was just gonna call you kitten and have that be that."_

 _Red blossomed in her cheeks. She turned down to look at the floor as though it had suddenly become immensely interesting. "J-Just Blake, please."_

 _The man sitting beside Blake suddenly bolted to his feet and ran somewhere behind Adam. When he turned, he saw the man embracing another Faunus woman so tightly he thought she might break if he constricted his arms any more. They wept between the passionate kisses they shared with one another and Adam realized he did not like seeing adults cry. Crying was something kids did. He was there for Blake, but he couldn't imagine if someone might be there for other adults._

 _He turned back around just in time to see Blake's eyes overflow with big wet tears while she watched the couple behind him._

" _What's wrong?" he asked._

 _Her lower lip quivered, then a powerful sob wracked through her small body. "I don't know where my mommy and daddy went!"_

 _Adam held her little hands in his again and rubbed them as he looked about the room. So many were bruised and bloodied, some bandaged, others moving and bustling about. Every single adult walked past them like they weren't even there, and he reached the disheartening truth that there was no way he would be able to tell this girl's parents out from the crowd._

" _Do you have any pictures of your parents?" Adam finally asked Blake._

" _N-No," she answered, her words bringing forth more tears. "Mama was always the one w-who h-had the c-camera…"_

" _Shhh, shhh, okay, it's okay..." Adam looked to the woman sitting beside Blake and, holding both of Blake's hands in one, reached over to grab her attention. "Ma'am?"_

 _The woman turned wearily towards him. She was holding a bag of ice against a broken outcropping of bone where her second antler once was. She smiled weakly, her eyes slightly unfocused as they circled around the general area of Adam's presence. Adam immediately regretted disturbing her. "I-I'm so sorry to bother you, ma'am…"_

" _It's alright, sweetie," said the woman, "did you need me for something?"_

" _This girl, her name's Blake. Do you know her or her parents?"_

 _The woman squinted at Blake, then motioned her to come closer, which Blake obliged. Her unfocused eyes skirted over Blake's features for not even several moments before pulling away with a solemn shake of her head. "I'm sorry, I've never seen this girl before."_

 _Adam cursed under his breath. Blake looked at him with shock, but he wasn't paying attention. He looked quickly to the woman and bowed respectfully. "Thank you very much, ma'am."_

 _She waved her hand kindly, then Adam stood and pulled Blake up with him. "You remember what your parents look like, right? What they were wearing today?" he quickly asked Blake. Before she could even nod in reply, Adam walked onwards through the crowds. It was all Blake could do to try and keep up with this boy's quick pace as they went hand in hand out and around the warehouse._

 _Adam remembered how red her cheeks were when he first yanked her up to her feet, and he tried to laugh. He did laugh once, twice, then his breaths devolved into fits of coughing. A spray of blood flew from his lips, and the intensifying coughs brought back his pain. And reality._

" _Shit, they got a lot of good shots on him."_

" _There's so many. How are we gonna dress them all?"_

" _I… I don't know. Start with the serious ones and work down."_

" _We don't have enough first-aids to get them all, sir."_

" _That's all I can tell you. I'll get started, you keep looking for any more you can find. Go!"_

 _Adam tried to move around, but parts of his stomach were not listening to his commands, sending a bolt of pain through his system each time he tried. He felt like a marionette with half its strings cut while he jerked out a few more failed attempts. Eventually, someone's hand finally pressed down on his chest while a person spoke to him in a soft voice._

" _Please lie still, sir. A lot of people want to thank you. They need you. Be strong for them, please."_

 _Be strong for them._

" _Come on, Blake, be strong for them!" whispered Adam to Blake. The day was descending into night and they had searched all across the warehouse to no avail. The evening waned and more people went in and out of the warehouse. But most often the ones who arrived were other White Fang members come to check up on their fellow members, and the income of stragglers from the protest had slowed down to a trickle long ago, none of whom were Blake's mother and father. Blake was starting to revert back to the way he'd found her; sniffling and huffing quietly with each second her parents didn't break through the crowds._

 _He didn't want to admit to himself that he was losing hope as well. Adam looked all around himself, afraid._

 _Then he saw another White Fang member enter the warehouse and say something to the makeshift camp's head officer. The man listened to what the scout said, then an appalled expression spread across his face._

 _Alright, Adam thought in frustration. He turned to Blake and with a tiny smile said: "Come on, this way."_

 _Blake followed Adam without a word. When he reached the group of officers, he bowed respectfully before introducing himself. "Adam Taurus, Apprentice. This is Blake Belladonna, I'm trying to help her find her parents."_

 _The officers acknowledged Adam's presence silently, then all looked to Blake with grim faces. Behind him, Blake watched Adam with wide, awe-struck eyes. She hadn't the slightest inkling that the boy helping her was a member of the White Fang guard! Then she saw the superior men towering above her and she shrunk against Adam. They were all looking at her with an expression so sad it was beyond her young mind to understand what it meant. She didn't like it. She didn't like it and neither did Adam._

" _Could you please help me find them? Could you…" Adam's words trailed off as the officers looked to one another without saying anything to him. A feeling of dread crept somewhere deep inside him as he asked: "What's wrong?"_

 _The officer who walked in was holding a piece of paper in his hand which he looked to before speaking to Adam. "This girl's last name is… Belladonna?"_

 _Adam glanced to his side and saw Blake peering up at him fearfully. He nudged her encouragingly to answer the man, which she did. "Y-Yes," she answered, "my last name is Belladonna. My name is Blake Belladonna. Do you know where my mommy and daddy are?"_

 _The officer took a long breath as he glanced back to the head officer with a grim expression and nodded, who in turn hesitated for several moments before nodding back._

" _What's going on? What's happened?" asked Adam._

 _The officer knelt before the two kids, ran a hand through his hair, and spoke. "We've got confirmation of seven deaths…"_

 _Adam and Blake both went rigid. Blake gasped._

 _Then, with a trembling hand, the officer handed the paper to Adam. "... and the names."_

 _Adam took one quick look at the list and felt his heart stop._

 _Two shared a last name: "Belladonna."_

 _A tiny hand inched forward to point at the two names on the paper._

 _Oh, no, Blake-_

 _Adam was too slow to hide the names from Blake's sight. A failure which was reaffirmed as he turned and saw Blake staring wide-eyed at the paper in a stunned, horrified silence. "No. No, that's mama's name… and that's papa's..."_

 _Quickly, Adam thrust the paper back to the kneeling officer and held Blake close just as she screamed out in wretched realization. Adam didn't speak a single word while Blake's rage and anguish crumbled into a horrible wailing. With every sob and every cry, Blake's little body felt more and more fragile in his arms. Anger boiled within him. In his heart he felt a hatred strong enough to eliminate the entire human race for making this innocent girl- this innocent child- break down in tears._

 _But in that same moment, that hatred withered into nothingness as quickly as it had cultivated._

 _Don't cry._

 _Hatred won't stop her tears, he thought._

 _Please don't cry._

 _Adam craned his neck to plant a gentle kiss against her crown of midnight-black hair._

" _I'm so sorry, Blake," he whispered. His tears fell hot atop her head, and her cries began anew from his words. She pressed herself tight against his robes and he silently waited just as before for the tears to stop._

" _I'm here," he said. "I'll take care of you."_

 _I'll take care of you._

 _I'm so sorry._

" _What's he saying?"_

" _I don't know, but we're losing him!"_

 _Later that year, some time after Blake got used to the idea of living under Adam's care, she told him he was like a big brother to her. In spite of her distant nature born from that day, moments like that were welcome reminders of the life still flickering brilliantly inside her golden eyes._

 _He smiled._

 _That same year, she began training alongside him under his master's tutelage. The new leader of the White Fang wanted the humans to pay for their crimes against the Faunus, and doing so required soldiers. He and Blake jumped at the opportunity to forward the cause._

 _Deep down, he knew she joined because of him. He never said to anyone he wished she didn't._

 _His smile disappeared._

 _They were partners. An inseparable duo whose missions yielded a success rate higher than most adult operatives. The White Fang became a force not to be trifled with due to the success of some of their missions. For ten years this went on. With the passing of each one, he became more and more enraptured by the strength of the cause. In his blindness, he couldn't see her grow farther and farther away from it._

 _Until..._

" _Goodbye…"_

 _His smile died._

 _His thoughts of her didn't. Not once for the decade that passed in her absence. He sent operatives to check on her once a month for twelve months, every year for ten years. Even after fighting against her during The Cataclysm, he continued to watch as she grew and flourished in the life she made for herself._

 _She made friends, graduated a Huntress._

 _Fell in love with and married a Faunus who treated her better than he ever could._

 _Gave birth to a lovely baby girl, then had a beautiful baby boy a not even a year later._

 _A boy with golden eyes just like hers…_

 _He smiled one last time. Tears ran down his face and onto the grimy floor of the vehicle._

 _I'm so proud of you, Blake…_

 _When he tried to cry, he coughed up blood again. The pain was beginning to vanish, as was everything else._

 _I'm so sorry…_

 _There was only an ocean of cold surrounding the diminishing island of warmth that somehow remained._

 _Tell her._

 _Adam grit his teeth._

 _Tell her._

" _W-What?"_

 _With the last of his strength, Adam searched out with his remaining arm and his fingers wrapped tight against the uniform of a shocked medic. He pulled himself up where their faces stood only centimeters apart. Adam's eyes glared into the medic's with an unbreakable determination as he whispered, "Tell her…"_

" _Tell who, sir?" asked the medic with wide eyes._

 _Adam pulled himself to where his lips brushed against the man's ear._

" _Tell Blake..."_

" _Who?"_

" _Blake… Belladonna… Tell Blake… I..."_

 _xXx_

They huddled at the backdoor together, everyone clad from head to toe in only the thickest coats, the wooliest scarfs, and the heaviest boots. Sun looked to Blake standing on the other side of the hall and smiled goofily. His eyes flicked down to the children. Oh, how they gazed up at Blake with such impatience, their restlessness palpable through the layers of fabrics they wore. They were like little dynamos as they bounced in place at the door. Blake suddenly found the image of her children spontaneously combusting from excitement enter into her head. It drew forth an amused snort from her, and she couldn't hide her chuckling.

"Mama…" whined Dawn. Blake began laughing after making eye contact with her daughter and the child's cheeks bloomed beneath her scarf with frustration. "Mama, come on! What're you laughing at?"

"Nothing, nothing." Blake stifled her laughter poorly and held the doorknob in a mittened hand. "You ready?"

Dusk and Dawn nodded their heads frantically, their eyes ablaze with anticipation. Blake turned the handle, pushed the door open, and her kids' faces lit up instantly as they saw the fresh layer of virgin snow sparkling in the early morning light. Winter's first snowfall covered the entirety of the valley while they slept, and as she promised them last night, it was all theirs to play in.

"It snowed!" cried Dawn, "It really snowed!"

"It's so pretty…" whispered Dusk, his wide eyes looking off to the Three Mountains with their fresh blankets of pure white snow. "Like sparkly vanilla icing…"

"Mmhmm." Sun knelt between the two and held them in his arms. Just as they were about to hug him back, Sun picked both kids up, ran across the snow-covered porch, and lept backwards into the undisturbed cushion waiting beyond in an explosion of white powder. His children laughed gleefully in his arms as the snow fell down all around them.

From the porch, Blake shook her head and laughed. Only Sun, she thought, only Sun.

"Alright, go!" Sun yelled, flipping both kids out from his arms and pushing them forward onto their feet. "Go on, go, go, go!"

Dawn rolled out a small distance and scrambled into a mad dash, running around the backyard in a wide circle and giggling incessantly with each cloud of fresh snow she kicked up during her sprint. Dusk, however, took a few excited hopping steps forward, looked around himself, and tipped backwards to fall beneath the thick snow. Blake could hear the quaint chuckling arising from the boy's indention in the snow as she appeared before her husband. Their eyes met, and Sun pointed to the back of his neck with a grin. "Some snow got in my coat."

"Idiot," said Blake, smiling as she offered a hand and pulled Sun up to his feet. Beyond, Dawn came back around and fell into a roll exactly where Dusk was making his snow angel. There was a rustling of snow, a bump, a surprised cry, then a victorious laugh as Dawn bolted back to her feet with Dusk in hot pursuit. Blake watched as the two ran around, Dusk yelling and Dawn laughing over her shoulder, and felt Sun's arm wrap sweetly around her waist. She leaned into his looming presence and breathed a tired sigh. "Those are _your_ kids over there."

"Eh." Sun grunted as he pressed his lips against Blake's head. "They get the craziness from you."

"Yeah, sure," said Blake with a giggle. She ran her hand along his chin and lifted her lips to meet his. She took a moment to enjoy the warmth, then parted and nudged his side softly. "Well, you'd better go play with them now. You've got to work in a bit."

"Yup. You're right." With that, Sun sprinted across the yard, lept over the numerous trails Dawn made into the snow and intercepted his daughter with a loud and playful growl. Blake watched with amusement as he lifted her high above his head before faux slamming her into the snow and tickling her while she was down. By the time Dusk reached his father and began helping him punish his sister, Dawn kicked up a fine white mist with all her struggling.

She was so entertained by the whole scene that it took a moment or two for her to notice her scroll vibrating in her coat pocket.

Pulling it out, Blake looked at the screen for the caller I.D. and saw the number was blocked. Her brow furrowed.

Weird. Wrong number, maybe? She answered the phone. "Hello?"

Nothing. There was only the faintest sound of breathing on the other end. Blake spoke again. "Hello?"

Silence again.

Blake was about to pull the phone from her ear and end the call when finally, a voice spoke.

" _All animals are of the Earth."_

A chill ran through Blake. The old code. She hadn't heard those words spoken to her in well over a decade. Not since... "Who the hell is this?"

" _All animals are of the Earth,"_ the caller repeated.

Blake whipped around to where her family was playing in the snow. They couldn't see the worry in her eyes, and they definitely couldn't hear her conversation. Out of habit, though, she turned away and completed the code so her family couldn't see. The nostalgia of the words as they escaped her lips was nauseating when she realized that it was once again her voice saying them. _"But hate is of the cold heart."_

"Are you Blake Belladonna, ma'am?" the caller asked. With their clandestine act out of the way, the voice of the person calling now took on a much more subdued, almost tentative, tone.

Blake glanced back once more to her family in the snow and was shocked to see Dusk now facing her, the quizzical expression on his little face giving the impression he knew something was going on.

But he couldn't know. There's no way he could know, Blake thought to herself.

Right?

Still, Dusk sat on his haunches and continued staring with his big golden eyes as his father continued playing with Dawn in the snow beside him. If Sun noticed him staring…

With a breath, Blake broke from her son's unflinching gaze and hurried towards the house. "How did you get this number?"

"The White Fang has its ways of collecting and keeping information," the caller answered.

Another chill. "Then you know I left long ago. Don't call this number again."

"Miss Belladonna, it's-"

"You leave me alone," said Blake with a growl. "Leave me alone, leave my kids alone, leave my husband alone, leave my family alone. I have nothing to do with you people anymore. _Goodbye._ "

"Miss Belladonna, it's about mister Taurus."

Her hand froze around the back door as she heard his name. Blake felt her anger escape from her heart, but now a far more confusing plethora of emotions took its place. "Adam? What about him?"

"Are you alone, ma'am?" asked the caller. The speaker's voice caught as she asked the question, and Blake felt a growing worry take hold inside of her. She glanced over her shoulder. Sun now noticed Dusk staring and was talking to him.

"No," answered Blake. "I'm gonna try and find a place where I can speak."

"Go ahead."

With a twist, Blake yanked the door open and walked through it, slamming it shut behind her. She strode into a nearby bathroom and shut herself inside.

"Alright," she said into the phone. "I'm alone. Tell me now."

xXx

Dusk watched his father come from nowhere, sweep his sister into his arms, pull her up, up into the air, and slam her down playfully in the snow when he first heard the whispers. Sun was growling funny things while he held Dawn down and tickled her mercilessly, so Dusk figured he was probably just hearing things his dad was saying.

"Come on, Dusk, help me!" yelled Sun just as Dusk reached where his sister thrashed about in the snow. The little boy fell to his knees eagerly and threw himself into the task of tickling Dawn with deft fingers.

But then he heard the whispers again-

 _(White Fang Please No Please)_

-and realized the voice and the words were his mother's. He stopped his tickling and looked from side to side. Sun was kneeling next to him and Dawn was on the ground, but his mother wasn't anywhere near him. Dusk glanced over his shoulder. Blake was standing in front of the porch like he thought, but the way she stood seemed odd. Her body looked stiff and her eyes wide with what Dusk figured to be shock or surprise. In her right hand she held her scroll to her ear and was talking to someone-

 _(Hate Is Of The Cold Heart)_

-who was making her uncomfortable the longer she spoke to them. And for some reason he felt he knew the things going on inside of her heart as they radiated about her and within her like a mirage, a swirling flurry of colors and words stirred up by the conversation she was having with the-

 _(White Fang)_

-person on the other end of the call.

He cocked his head. What's a White Fang? Looking at it, the word made no sense to him, but he could tell it certainly meant a lot to his mother. All that made sense to him was the sudden change in the colors inside Blake when she finally noticed Dusk staring at her. The alien feeling pulsed from the center of his forehead and when he concentrated, it was like he was-

 _(Listening To What I'm Saying? Impossible, He Couldn't Know. Could He?)_

-seeing a hue of deep pink. Like someone blushing, but much more serious than that. He couldn't put it into words and he didn't think he wanted to.

Blake turned on her heels and walked quickly back towards the house. Dusk kept his eyes on her and saw her colors curling slowly from pink to-

 _(LEAVE ME ALONE LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE LEAVE US ALONE)_

-dark scarlet as she stopped at the door. She was hunched to the side and speaking into the phone with quiet, jerking movements. They were quite familiar to Dusk, and he remembered the rare times when his mama became well and truly angry with someone or something. Only this seemed different than those other times. He could see a lot more now with this new, alien feeling of his than any of those other times.

With it, Dusk knew the name of what he saw: _Fear._

Out of nowhere, the colors changed again. Images began to appear in the storm inside of Dusk's mother. Images of-

 _(Adam?)_

-a person Dusk had never ever seen. Images of a boy, a teenager, a man with blood-red hair and two horns curling back atop his head dancing about in undulating shades of scarlet, crimson, and vermillion; photos tossed along in an updraft. If Dusk was confused about Blake's feelings before, he was completely lost now. Love, bashfulness, anger, and sadness were only a few he could understand. Sometimes it was one of these, often at times it was a collection of these, and other times none.

Then there were the words caught in the updraft.

 _Friend._

 _Enemy._

 _Terrorist._

 _Murderer._

 _Brother._

 _Big Brother._

Big Brother?

"Dusk?"

Dusk blinked and Sun was shaking his arm. Beside him, Dawn lifted herself, panting with laughter, to sit upright. When she saw Dusk, her head tipped sideways quizzically.

"You alright, Dusk?" asked Sun. The playful expression from earlier now replaced with gentle worry. "You were looking a little pale for a minute there."

Dusk swallowed and found his throat inexplicably parched. He lifted a dimpled hand to his forehead. It was as though the foreign sensation from before had never existed.

"Dusk? Buddy?" Sun took off one mitten and lifted it to Dusk's cheek, trying to check the warmth in his face, and Dusk flinched from the chill. "Woah, you alright there?"

Dusk laughed a little, uneasily. "Yeah, dad. You're hand's cold."

"You alright? You look like you saw a ghost," said Dawn.

"I, uh-" Dusk looked quickly to the house and saw that Blake had already gone inside, said: "I'm fine, I just need to go to the bathroom." Without adding anything further, Dusk jumped to his feet and ran back into the house. He reached the door and, knowing his mama was somewhere around here, shut it carefully behind himself so as to not make too much noise. Each step he took was careful, tentative, as he walked through his home and tuned his ears, both pairs, to listen for the sound of his mother wherever it may arise.

Then, he heard it.

Dusk knew his mama's voice. It was smooth, calm, sweet, and sometimes powerful whenever something really got under her skin.

He'd never heard her voice like this before.

"What… what do you mean, Adam's…?"

He'd never heard it tremble.

Following it, Dusk found himself staring up at the door of the bottom floor bathroom. He took off his knit beanie and pressed an ear softly against the tall, wooden surface. Inside he heard his mother's soft, rapid breaths rise and fall while the caller on the phone spoke a conversation he couldn't make out. Words his mother tried to speak died in soft croaks before she could complete them. Dusk didn't like the sound. His mama was strong, calm, and kind. Sad didn't fit into her description.

But then what was she hearing? What was the Fang-person saying to her that was making her so sad?

Without warning, the alien sensation pulsed forward from Dusk's mind through the door to where his mother was and he saw her there: her hand pressed tight over her mouth, her golden eyes wide with horror while tears trailed down her face in relentless, unending streams. Her feelings had become a grainy snow gently falling. Images of the boy, the teenager, the man with the red hair and horns crumbled away into nothingness, disappearing into unending whiteness.

 _Gone_

 _Adam_

 _Dead_

 _Gone_

 _Big Brother_

 _Dead_

 _Gone_

Blake took in a sharp breath after a long silence and exhaled. The person on the other end of the call said something, to which Blake said, "Y-Yes, I'm still here..."

The conversation continued, but Dusk didn't hear any of it. His sight blinked abruptly back to normal and he took some steps away from the door. Something dripped from his chin down to the floor. When he felt it with his fingers, he realized tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Dusk then heard his mother place the scroll on the sink countertop with an uneven clack and he knew her crying would come next. But it didn't come the way he thought it would. There were sounds like heaving, quiet at first, which grew steadily into a wheezing as though it were suddenly difficult for her to breathe. There was a soft thump against the wall, then a shifting of fabric which traveled down to a gentle bump. Dusk moved close to the door as he heard the first of his mother's sobbing, and placed a small hand where he knew her head leaned helplessly against the polished surface.

Don't cry.

He pressed his own head against the door as he felt his tears fall again.

Please, don't cry.

Somewhere, the backdoor opened and Sun called out to the house for Dusk. Footsteps rounded the corner and Sun was shocked to find his son curled up against the bathroom door and in tears. He bolted forward and fell beside Dusk, holding his little face in his hands as he inspected the boy with an intense fervor. "Dusk! Dusk, what happened-"

Sun's attention snapped to the door as he heard Blake's wheezing sobs inside the bathroom.

"Babe?" muttered Sun. He lifted Dusk and placed him away from the door before rapping his knuckle hurriedly against the surface. "Babe, are you alright?"

There was no answer. Blake's ragged breathing continued from within. Sun reached for the handle, and upon twisting it, was relieved that Blake had neglected to lock it. Dusk, who sat against the wall with his legs held against his chest, watched as his father pulled the door open.

It was surreal to see his mother- the woman who'd always been there to soothe him down whenever _he_ cried- sitting there with her legs held tight against her chest as she sobbed into her knees. As Dawn rounded the corner and laid her eyes upon the sobering scene, Dusk knew she was more than likely thinking the same thing.

Sun was beside Blake in a flash, casting his mittens aside as he whispered softly into her ear and rubbed her quaking back in small, gentle circles. Blake's head slowly lifted, and Sun's hands flew up to hold her tear-stained face while she looked blearily at him through puffy, red eyes.

"What happened?" asked Sun. He stroked her hair from where it clung soddenly against her cheeks.

"Big brother's dead…" she said miserably.

"What?"

"Adam's dead, Sun… Adam's dead, he was..." Blake tried elaborating, but it was all she could manage. She collapsed into another bout of heaving cries and Sun held her close against his chest, stroking her hair gently while she wailed and sobbed relentlessly into the fabric of his snow-soaked coat.

And all the while, she didn't notice Dusk as he came up behind her and rubbed her back with his tiny, dimpled hand. He whispered words to her he'd never spoken before today, and somewhere deep down Blake heard them. Not in her son's voice, but in _his_ voice.

Please don't cry, mama.

Please, don't cry.


	3. The Burden She Bears

**Author's Greetings: I do not own "RWBY." All credit for all of my works goes to the original conspirators at Rooster Teeth and to Monty Oum, as if it weren't already blatantly obvious.**

 **Writing this just after watching "Beginning Of The End" again. Just would like to point out I'm glad the writers behind RWBY also recognize that had Blake remained a terrorist with Adam and the White Fang, she very likely would have been eventually killed in the field. Most especially when Cinder returned to the White Fang camp with Autumn's power and essentially killed the entire camp (Those of you who've seen the episode will know exactly what I'm talking about).**

 **Just keep that in mind as you read this little intermission chapter I threw together with the kids Blake wouldn't have had had she not defected.**

 **Never let the shame of mistakes keep you from moving on and** _ **learning from them.**_ **Sometimes it is the very people who make the worst mistakes who are the ones most capable of teaching the wisdom of their errors to others. Just a thought for all you survivors of hardship out there, kids and parents alike.**

 **Keep strong, stay smart, and hang in there. An order from yours, truly.**

 **Enjoy. ;)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Three: The Burden She Bears**_ _ **)**_

" _Have we ever wondered a mother's silent cries? Her struggles, her fears and her worries? Do we ever have time for this in our busy lives? Have we ever thought of the sacrifices she has done in order to make our lives happier, and her dreams cut short to make our dreams come true?" -_ Ama H. Vanniarachchy

xXx

 _Dawn- Age: 4_

 _Dusk- Age: 3_

It reached a head with Dawn, and she couldn't stand it any longer. It was her toy. _Her_ toy to play with. _Her_ toy that she _owned_. Mama was the one who gave it to her, and now she was making Dawn give it to her stupidhead of a little brother to play with. She always had to put up with this, but enough is enough. Today, she was going to make a stand.

Today, Dawn was going to take back what was hers.

She stormed out from her room where she watched Dusk play stupidly with her precious stuffed tiger, rolling around with it, slobbering and throwing it all across the floor. She stood above him with her fists clenched at her sides.

Dusk glanced up with his wide golden eyes at his big sister and was at first happy to see her. Did she want to come play with me? he wondered. But then he noticed that look in her eyes… Dusk had never seen an angry glare before. He held the stuffed animal tight in his little hands, sure that something was wrong.

"I want my toy back," said Dawn. "Now."

Dusk swallowed softly. He didn't like how her words sounded sharp and ugly to his ears. "But, mama said I could…"

His big sister's eyes narrowed at the mention of their mother and her temper shortened. "Mama also gave _me_ that toy. It's mine and I want it back."

Dusk whimpered slightly to himself, his kitten ears flattening against his head as his older sister glared at him with a hatred he'd never known before today. His heart beat loudly in his chest, and in his fear could think of no other way to protect himself but to mention the authority of his mother again. Dawn _had_ to follow the rules if mama was the one who made them… right? "Mama… told me I could play with it for a bit…"

Dawn's arm shot out to grab one of the doll's legs and she yanked it hard without warning. She might have succeeded in reclaiming the doll had Dusk not been clutching the stuffed animal tightly in his little fists and instead the boy was thrown forward from the violent yank. The sudden force and viciousness of his sister's actions terrified Dusk, and his fearful whimpers continued to grow as the two struggled.

"Let go!" said Dawn in a sharp hiss. She pressed her palm against Dusk's chest, hoping the doll would simply slide gently out of his hands if tugged hard enough. However, this only prompted Dusk to clamp down tighter until his fists were two little red balls digging deep into the toy's fabric. "It's my toy! Let go!"

"Dawn, stop!" cried Dusk softly. Tears streamed down his soft cheeks as Dawn pressed her hand against his face and pushed on his head, her patience wearing thin until-

"Give. Me. Back. My-!"

In a moment of perfectly accumulated anger, Dawn grabbed both of Dusk's arms in one hand and yanked on the toy with all of her might. There was the sound of tearing, then of bumping and rolling as Dusk tumbled backwards across the floor. When the little boy stopped rolling and sat back up, he was horrified to find himself holding only the two front arms of the doll while Dawn held the rest in her hands.

"Mr. Stripes…?" whimpered Dusk.

Dawn only stared at the mutilated stuffed animal, stunned and not quite believing how her oldest and most favorite toy could be armless as his cotton innards spilled from the stumps where his limbs once were. Then, hearing the whimpers of her little brother, she grit her teeth and whipped around to yell: "You killed Mr. Stripes!"

"No I didn't! I-I..." cried Dusk, his tears flowing as he remembered the doll's arms in his hands. He offered them back to his big sister, wishing she would just take them so she could stop being so angry at him as he began to softly sob. "H-Here! H-H-Here's his a-arms…"

His crying grew louder and Dawn knew mama would be here soon as she heard it. She always heard it and was always there to coddle and pamper him whenever he was upset. Then she would tell Dawn to give him a toy, and even if she didn't want to, she had to give up what was hers because she was his 'big sister' and was supposed to 'be there whenever he's upset.'

Everything was always about Dusk, always about her stupid little brother.

Stupid little brother.

Stupid, stupid, stupid little brother!

She threw down Mr. Stripes without saying a word.

Striding up to Dusk, Dawn grabbed the stuffed arms from his hands and threw them back in his face without saying a word.

Then, just as he recovered from the arms being thrown in his face, Dawn lifted a hand and slapped Dusk across his head, _hard._

His wailing could be heard throughout the entire house.

xXx

The warm summer light poured through the windows of the living room at just the right angle for Blake to comfortably read her novel. Her legs curled beneath her as she sat on the couch and her elbow was propped on the arm-rest so she could lean on the gentle curve of her chin without discomfort. Arriving home early after a week at work was bliss, but not as much as taking a shower and sneaking in a couple of pages of reading before slipping back into her motherly duties. The feeling of her still-damp skin and hair attested to that, and she let out a contented sigh as her golden eyes skirted across the pages with practiced ease.

Then, her cat ears twitched. A sound from upstairs arose that she couldn't really make it out. She lifted her head to try and get a better listen at the noise: an odd grunting sound, or something like it.

Dawn? Blake wondered, thinking about what happened when she came back home and reminded Dawn her week with Mr. Stripes was over. The way her daughter had eyed the stuffed tiger as she gave it to Dusk was an odd expression unlike any she'd seen on the little girl's face before. If she didn't know any better, she'd thought it was a look of jealousy. It was certainly worrisome behavior to see, which was why Blake was only reading for a little bit today. When she was done with this page, she planned to go sit down with Dawn and have a nice talk with her for a little bit. A week's absence always made her fond for the company her children whenever she came back. A talk, Blake figured, would do them both a bit of good.

Just as she thought this, Dusk's cries cut through the contented silence of the house.

Blake's heart jumped in her chest. She knew what pained crying sounded like, and she was on her feet and running up the stairs to her son's room in just a matter of seconds. "Dusk? Baby, are you alright?!"

When she rounded the entry to Dusk's room, she was stunned by what she saw. Dusk was curled up on the floor with his hands covering his head, shivering and wailing underneath the detestable glare of Dawn standing above him. Behind them, Mr. Stripes lay cast aside on the floor, his arms torn off and his stuffing spilling out from the open wounds.

Somehow, Blake didn't need to ask if Dawn was the one who was responsible, but she felt the question had to be asked, regardless. "What happened here?!"

The raven-haired girl flinched from the sound and volume of her mother's voice. She looked up at Blake with the briefest pangs of fear, then forcefully tightened her expression and jabbed an accusing finger at her little brother. "Dusk ruined Mr. Stripes! He has no arms because of what stupid Dusk did!"

Blake found herself hesitating for the briefest of moments. This was the first time she'd ever seen such a falling out; she had been an only-child growing up. She wished in that moment she could have asked her teammates what their parents did to settle the matter whenever it arose. But Dusk was clutching his head like it hurt, and Blake flew to his side by instinct. She hoisted her son up in her arms and pulled aside some of the boy's golden curls to get a better look at his face. "Dusk, are you alright baby?"

His large golden eyes opened, puffy and red from weeping, and found the face of his mother peering down at him. Now that she was here Dusk knew he would be okay, and he nodded fiercely. Blake's stroked his small head, then discovered an abrupt contour which made the infant wince and whimper when she touched it. A second feel confirmed it was a bump of a bruise. Dusk had been hit by something. _Hard._

Blake turned to Dawn. Her daughter's fists were clenched while she watched Dusk bury himself deeper into Blake's embrace, and Blake understood she had been right. That angry, jealous look. This had been the result of that look, and Blake couldn't help but feel responsible for not acting sooner. "Dawn… did you hit your little brother?"

"He ruined Mr. Stripes!" cried Dawn again. Her voice trembled with anger and hurt.

"You don't hit your little brother, Dawn! He's much smaller than you! You could have seriously hurt him!" Blake yelled at Dawn. She gently stroked Dusk's back as he sniffled out the last of his terrors against her shirt. Where had it come from, this anger of Dawn's? And how could it have grown to the point that she'd want to hurt him like that? More than angry, Blake felt confused and sad. Her children would now have this day hanging between them in the future, and she hoped whatever came of how she handled it would work out later on.

Oh, she hoped beyond everything else that it would.

"Why…?" whispered Dawn, "Why is it always about him? What's so special about stupid Dusk that you always protect him and love him so much more than you love me?!"

"Baby, that isn't true and you know it," said Blake, her voice cracking. She wanted to hold Dawn, to know what was going on in her daughter's head, but Dusk was the one who was hurt and she didn't want to leave him just as he began to calm down.

"Is _too_!" cried Dawn. "Mr. Stripes was _mine_! But then you started giving him to Dusk just because he wanted to play with him, too! And now…!"

There was a pause as Dawn turned her head away from Blake and began to sob softly, trying to hide her tears and failing. "Now… Mr. Stripes is… he's…"

"Dawn…" whispered Blake. Her inner mother yearned to ignore the fact Dawn had struck her brother as she offered a hand to the fragile, wounded girl standing before her.

"No!" screamed Dawn. Her anger and sorrow reaching its peak, her deepest, darkest thoughts forced themselves up and out her mouth for all the world to hear. "You never loved me!"

Blake flinched, her hand retreating as though it had been slapped away. "Dawn, don't say that…"

"I hate him!"

"Baby, please don't-"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you all!"

" _I hate you all!_ "

Silence. Dawn noticed the only sound left in the room was of her own panting, and she looked back to her mother to see the damage her words had done.

Blake stared wordlessly at Dawn, eyes wide like she had just been slapped as they began to pool with moisture. Dusk noticed his mother's motionlessness and tried to get her attention by tugging her shirt, but failed every attempt. One of his tugs caused one of Blake's tears to fall in a tiny rivulet down the smooth skin of her cheek, and Dawn realized all at once just how much she had hurt her mother; a woman she once believed could hold up the entire world.

Immediately, she wanted to take back what she just said mere seconds ago, but it was too late and she knew it. She hated that she knew it. She was sad that she knew it.

Blake could see it in her daughter's eyes, too, the regret, and broke from her silence as she tried weakly to speak to Dawn. "Baby-"

Dawn hid her tears and bolted from the room in a flash, her long, black ponytail a blur as it trailed behind her.

"Dawn!"

The child ran into her room and slammed the door behind her, twisting the bolt lock shut with her tail. Dawn collapsed against the door, the full weight of her actions falling into her realization. She hugged her knees tight against her chest as she heard Blake reaching the door to find it locked shut.

"Dawn? Baby, are you there?"

As her mother's wounded pleas reached her ears, Dawn's long-withheld tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Baby? Baby, please open the door… please..."

Slowly, Dawn lifted her hands to her ears and covered them tightly, saving herself from the sound of hers and her mother's sobbing.

xXx

The rest of the afternoon passed along, and after her mother tried unlocking the bolt-lock a couple of times, Dawn opted with jamming the handle with a chair the way she'd seen it one time on the television. For the rest of the time, she simply lay in bed curled up in a ball doing nothing. The truth came to her that she was in more trouble right now than in any other moment in her life, but she didn't mind it. She made peace with the fact. It was a better thing for Dawn to think about than of how she had made her own mother cry.

Time passed and Blake came by once an hour to knock on the door, asking if she would please come out, to which Dawn always answered with silence. It was bad, Dawn knew. But by this point she figured the whole situation was already too far gone. If she was going to play it out to this extent, what was the harm in extending it a little further? She might as well hang on to the small bit of anger towards her mother she still had inside of her. Keep the embers of that flame alight so this whole mess wouldn't have been for nothing. Keep them alight so she wouldn't have to admit to herself she'd been the one who messed up.

More time passed and the color of the sunlight falling into her room darkened from bright lemon to glowing tangerine. It had been quite some time since Dawn last heard her mother knock on the door. A glance to the clock on her bedside drawer told her the time; 4:10 p.m.; and the realization of what the time meant hit her just as the light from her window became obscured by a large shadow. There was the click of an undone latch then the sound of hinges swinging open. Dawn whipped around just in time to watch her father swing into her room with acrobatic grace from seemingly nowhere. He was still in uniform from having just arrived home, and clearly beyond his testy post-work mood when he didn't greet his daughter at all. Dawn was both amazed and horrified by her father's miraculous entrance, which helped her to sound angry when she yelled: "Dad?! Wha-! How-?"

"I do stuff like that all the time," said Sun in a low tone. He did not acknowledge Dawn's presence as he spoke. He stormed towards the door in a way reminding Dawn exactly how much trouble she was in as he took the chair under it and ripped it away with a racket of noise. The door now free, Sun yanked the handle open with such a force that it banged against the hallway with a sound loud enough to make Dawn flinch.

Afterwards, Sun glared at his daughter and pointed his finger outside the doorway, the gesture a direct order not to be misinterpreted. "Out."

Dawn swallowed nervously. As she swung her legs over the bed and walked forward, she tried to put on the best rebellious expression she could muster. But all they felt weak no matter how hard she forced herself to harness her remaining anger, and by the time she reached her father she had stopped trying completely.

"Out of the room. Now."

There was no strength in the way Dawn refused to look up from the ground. She took some steps into the hall, then stopped when Sun slammed the door shut behind her.

"I'm not happy with you right now, young lady. Not one little bit. Your mother told me what you did to your little brother and the ugly things you said to her." Sun's low tone rippled with a controlled anger that made Dawn tremble with each syllable he spoke. Her father was a kind-hearted, good-natured and funny person. This man standing behind her, his presence looming and his words searing, was here because of what she had done and she knew it was all her fault.

There was no back-talk from Dawn. No fight to be found in spite of the measly anger she swore she'd cling to. She opened her mouth to apologize immediately. "I'm sorry-"

"You're going to stay in your room while your mother, little brother and I eat dinner. When we're done, you'll eat dinner alone," said Sun in a toneless voice. "After that, you're gonna clean the entire house on your own as punishment. Do you understand me?"

"What-?!" cried Dawn, but her father suddenly rushed down to her level before she could finish and glared furiously into her eyes.

" _Do you,_ " said Sun in a low growl, the anger coiled behind his words visible, even palpable, in the humorless expression just millimeters away from Dawn's face, " _understand me?_ "

There was no sense arguing with her father in this state. His wasn't a question any more than what she'd done was some trifling thing whose consequences she could avoid if she begged or joked hard enough. Dawn was going to be punished for what she did and it wasn't a question of whether she understood or not.

She would go along with it the easy way or…

"Yes, papa," muttered Dawn, loud enough so Sun could hear. She hung her head, defeated.

"Good." Sun rose to his full, towering height above Dawn and gave a huff. It did not sound to Dawn like the goofy ones she was used to hearing whenever her father felt tired after a long day of training, but a huff of disappointment, cold and uncut. The sound of someone performing a thankless job no one liked, but that had to be done. He navigated Dawn out of the door's way as he pulled it open and pointed into her room. He didn't need to elaborate any further, and Dawn walked in without a sound.

"Leave this room before I come back, and you're gonna get spanked," warned Sun. "Understand?"

"Ye-" But the door slammed shut before her thought could even finish, and Dawn knew, again, the question was not a question.

Easy way, or…

The sound of silence echoed across Dawn's room louder than ever before. Outside she heard whispered conversations going on in the hallway; one voice her father's and the other's her mother's. She listened to their sounds, but cared little for what they were saying.

Instead, she walked up to her bed and punched it with her fist.

 _Stupid!_

Then she punched it again and again and again before burying her face in the sheets and screaming into the mattress.

 _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

Dawn climbed into her bed, buried herself under the covers, and fed her angry thoughts towards her mother, her brother, and father before slowly drifting from consciousness.

She never found out who it was she was calling stupid.

xXx

Footsteps entered the room then halted beside her bed as the covers were torn off in a flash. Dawn blinked to acclimate herself to the sudden flood of light and when the shock subsided, saw the outline of her father looming above her as he pointed a finger at her bedroom door.

"Come on," said Sun, his voice far softer than it had been when he first arrived. He didn't need to be threatening anymore. He knew his daughter would listen without making a fuss from here on out.

Dawn looked to the door, to her father, then silently fell from her bed and walked down the hallway as instructed. As she went, she passed her mother carrying a soundly sleeping Dusk in her arms. Their eyes met for only a second, and Dawn expected to see hurt flash in Blake's golden eyes, maybe even anger or hatred for driving her to tears. But as soon as their eyes met, Blake averted her gaze down and away from her daughter, walking into Dusk's room and shutting the door without making a single sound. Dawn continued to walk with her father guiding her from behind.

Her mother's expression had been one of disappointment. Towards Dawn or towards herself, Dawn did not know.

As her father decreed, Dawn sat at the table alone with a plate of food left out for her. The meal was cooled to room temperature much to Dawn's dismay, but a stern scowl from Sun told her she could either go to bed with dinner, or…

The instant she was done, Sun said: "Clean the kitchen."

Dawn opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She looked around at the kitchen and felt her heart sink. The stove was crowded with pots and pans filled with the food her mother made for dinner. The sink was practically overflowing with the utensils and dirty plates used throughout all three meals the family had eaten that day. Dawn had only ever seen her mother clean the dishes before today and sometimes her dad when Blake was out for long periods of time. It was stressful enough to think about where she'd begin, or even _how_.

She turned back to her father. "I don't know-"

"-Where to begin?" finished Sun in a mockingly chipper voice before shrugging. "Shame."

"Papa, please," said Dawn, her voice trembling. This was beyond the scope of a four-year-old to handle, and the helplessness which rose from that truth made her feel smaller than she had ever been. "I don't know what to do."

"Well," said Sun thoughtfully, "you've watched mama while she cleaned the kitchen, right?"

The mention of her mother made Dawn grimace, but she did remember all the times she lingered in the kitchen with mama after a meal freshly eaten. They would talk and talk and talk while Blake bustled about putting leftovers in tupperware, throwing pots and pans into the sink full of soapy dishwater where they would later emerge glistening and shiny when they caught the light. Sometimes when Dawn got too close, Blake would scoop a handful of suds and drop a little cloud of bubbles into her short, raven-black hair or stick a hearty beard around her neck.

Dawn remembered this, and smiled quietly to herself. "Yeah…"

"What does she always start with?" asked Sun, his voice soft. "I know you know..."

Dawn _did_ know. She scooted out from her chair, then dragged it over to the sink. The sleek steel surface of their kitchen dishwasher was only slightly higher than Dawn, but from where she stood, it seemed to loom above her.

Okay. She took a breath and leapt up to hang from the handle of the washer before yanking backwards to-

"Woah, woah!" Sun bolted forward and snatched his daughter from where she hung on the dishwasher. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I… I couldn't reach it."

Sun processed this, then placed her aside with an exasperated sigh. "If it's too high, Dawn," said Sun, grabbing the handle and pulling the machine open, "ask."

He gestured to the racks inside and Dawn rolled them forward. Both were almost full with dishes from previous meals.

"Papa, it's almost full."

"I know."

"I can't put all the dishes in there."

"I know."

Dawn looked up to her father, perplexed, and asked: "So then…?"

"You wash what's left with the pots," finished Sun. "Simple."

"You mean," said Dawn, the realization hitting her like a runaway train. " _Hand-wash_ them?"

Sun paused, pretending to think for a second, then: "Yep. That'd be it."

"Hand-wash most of the dishes?"

Sun nodded. "Yes."

Dawn walked to the kitchen island and stood on her tiptoes to glance at the time on the clock hanging on the wall: 5:45 p.m. "That's-!"

"Yeah?"

"That's gonna take me all night!" cried Dawn.

"All the more reason for you to start right now," said Sun as he leaned in low to glare at Dawn. "Am I right?"

Dawn was silent.

Easy way, or…

"Alright…" she muttered weakly.

Sun moved away from Dawn and watched as she hefted herself up onto the chair. She stared at the crowded sink and couldn't figure where to start in the face of such an immense workload.

"Start with the small stuff," said Sun softly from behind. "That would be…?"

Forks and knives, Dawn answered in her head. She moved around the dishes in the metal basin and collected as many of the utensils as she could before her little hands were filled. After, she'd step down from the chair and place them in the appropriate container before climbing back onto the chair to repeat it all over again.

When the forks, knives, and spoons were in their places, Dawn began taking down everything else from the sink. Once, she tried carrying a stack of plates down all at once, but a slip nearly resulting in her dropping the whole burden caused her to change her mind rather quickly.

"Some of the glass bowls can go in the bottom if there isn't enough room on the top rack," informed Sun. Dawn followed this advice and was relieved to find herself placing in more of the sink load than she had previously expected. The dishwasher eventually was filled to capacity and she slid the bottom rack into place before throwing the machine's door shut.

"Forgetting something?" asked Sun. Dawn snapped to her father, hoping he would tell her but knowing this simply wouldn't happen. She thought to herself for a second, her black tail swishing slowly behind her while she raked her memory for the answer. What did mama always…?

Suddenly, Dawn remembered. Her mother always reached for something beneath the sink she took out whenever the wash was full. A little packet she always thought looked like candy-

"The swirly soap-thingy," said Dawn. She gazed up forlornly at the dishwasher she had so thoughtlessly shut and Sun arrived a few moments later to open it once more. Dawn looked under the sink and recognized the bag containing the packets instantly, taking one out. On the opposite side the dishwasher's front was a little latch which, when opened, allowed a person to insert the desired soap variant for one of two slots: "Solid" or "Liquid." Dawn placed her swirly soap-thingy in the former, toying with the red button-thingy in the packet's middle like she always did, before flipping the latch and shutting the washer closed for the last time.

The chair beside Dawn abruptly lifted and swung around, landing before the dishwasher as her father asked: "You know what settings to put on?"

Dawn shook her head. Sun helped his daughter onto the chair and showed her what each button meant, whispering each function into her ear which she would then press accordingly.

"Now press start."

She did, then was lifted back down as Sun placed the chair in front of the sink. Dawn was about to climb back up it when her father spoke: "Nope. Not doing pots just yet."

Dawn groaned aloud. "Papa…"

"Enough. Come on," said Sun, walking over to Dawn and giving her shirt a yank hard enough to remind her he was still mad at her as she stumbled over to the kitchen island.

"Now we put away the food," said Sun.

"But I can't reach up there," said Dawn.

"I know. I'm gonna do this for you."

"Thank you, papa…"

"This isn't a free pass, Dawn. You're gonna be handing me containers."

"Oh, no…"

"Oh, yes."

And so the two went to work; Dawn huffing stubbornly, loudly whenever she could, and Sun, ignoring the sounds of displeasure arising from his daughter as he either took the containers offered by her or asked her to find another one. When the last tupperware cover was snapped shut and the fridge door closed for the last time, Dawn looked around to the clock on the wall and saw it read 5:59 p.m.

Her father stood by the chair in front of the sink and gave it a hearty pat. " _Now_ you do the pots," he said without humor.

Dawn groaned.

"Is that a complaint?" asked Sun in a low tone. Dawn didn't respond, only shuffled forward onto the chair and plugged up the sink with the rubber stopper the way she had watched her mother do it so many times before. She turned the spout handle, allowing hot water to fill up the metal basin while she reached for the soap and poured some of the cyan fluid to mix with the steaming water.

"You put in a little too much. Just so you know for next time," said Sun softly.

"Okay," replied Dawn.

"That's enough. Shut it off there."

Dawn obeyed, shutting off the water as the small white mountains of bubbles shifted and quivered in the heat of its environment.

"Start with the dishes," said her father.

Dawn hesitated for a moment or two, then tried looking over her shoulder at the clock again. She was stopped by Sun, who moved to block her sight and repeated: "Start with the dishes."

"It's gonna take me all night, papa," pleaded Dawn.

"Then I guess you'd better get started, eh?"

Dawn whipped back to the soapy water and clenched her jaw in a frustration she didn't dare express.

"Start with the dishes, the easy stuff," said Sun. "You'll go faster like that."

She did as her father told, throwing the smaller dishes into the water with enough force that she could release her anger without letting Sun notice right away. When it was full enough, she took the sponge from the far edge of the sink and began to scrub.

"When you're done scrubbing, put them in the other sink and rinse them with cold water before putting them in the basket over there," said Sun. "You'd better do it right. I can tell when there's left-over grime when it isn't done right."

"Yeah," muttered Dawn.

"What was that, young lady?"

Dawn flinched from her father's forceful words, shattering what remained of her rebellious demeanor into a thousand little pieces. She answered back with a tiny, trembling voice: "Yes, papa…"

"Good. That's what I thought."

Dawn went back to her work in defeated silence. The only sound in the room rose from the soft slosh of the water as she scrubbed and the sharp, momentary clatter as she moved the finished dishes into the adjacent sink as they waited to be rinsed.

"When you're done here, I'm gonna show you how to sweep and mop the kitchen," said Sun.

Dawn sighed, forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat as she put the first of the cleaned dishes into the adjoining sink before going to work on the next one. "Yes, papa…"

xXx

Through the punishment of cleaning up the entire kitchen, Dawn found she rather enjoyed mopping out of all the chores she did. Cleaning the pots had been a pain, especially since Blake used the oven to cook dinner and most of the pots needing cleaning were caked with dried food. Rinsing them was tedious, as was putting them away. And the sweeping… it seemed every five seconds her father stopped her to point out a tiny, barely visible collection of flint or dust she happened to overlook.

But somehow, the mopping itself seemed rather easy. Just quaint back and forth, back and forth motions as she worked from one end of the kitchen to the exit, leaning into her scrubbing, and soaking the head with soap water whenever it began to dry. This was good because at the end of it all, Dawn didn't think she could handle any more work. Even as she mopped, her eyelids were fluttering shut and her legs and arms operated with the minimal amount of strength needed to properly mop. Mopping was a mechanical motion, but it was simple if nothing else. Almost done, she repeated to herself over and over again in her head, almost done.

Back and forth, back and forth she continued. Then the moment came when she realized the final stroke of the mop had been made and she was standing in the hall beyond the kitchen. She didn't move, frozen from the disbelief that she had finally finished her punishment. So unsure was she of her own completion that she looked up to her father behind her and asked: "W-What do I do now?"

Sun peered in and around the kitchen, not wanting to step on the wet tile as he inspected the visible cleanliness of the place. He gave a thoughtful "Hmm," then pulled back with a huff. "Well, it seems you're done with the kitchen."

Dawn let out a weary laugh and leaned against the wall, the mop still in her hands. "Finally..."

"Ah-ah," said Sun, taking the mop from his daughter's hands and placing it in the bucket of soapy water. "Gotta throw out the dirty water and clean the bucket. Come on."

Dawn wasted no time following her father to the bottom-floor bathroom, her spirits high that she would soon be free from her punishment.

"Well you seem chipper," commented Sun flatly as he watched Dawn scurry beside him.

"Yup. Almost done," said Dawn, unsure of her father's tone as he chuckled to himself. "What's funny, papa?"

Sun didn't answer. The two reached the bathroom and were about to enter when Sun placed the bucket and mop down beside the door.

"Papa?"

Sun crossed his arms across his chest lifted an eyebrow. "You think you're done?"

Dawn felt her heart drop like lead in her chest.

"I explicitly remember telling you," said Sun as he leaned close to Dawn and grinned devilishly at her, "you'd be cleaning the _whole house_."

"No!" cried Dawn. A lump grew in her throat as images of her spending the entire night doing what she'd done in the kitchen for _the entire house_ danced about in her head. Her entire body was screaming for rest, for this whole horrible day to just end already before it could get any worse, but her father's punishment was every bit as terrible as she had feared it to be, and she couldn't take it anymore. "Papa, please! I'm so tired! I can't do it! I…"

"Oh? You say you're too tired?" quipped Sun as he listened to his daughter's pleas. He lifted his hand to his face and rubbed his chin in exaggerated thought, taking her words into dramatic consideration. "Well… I suppose you _are_ too small to do the entire house. And it _is_ almost ten at night…"

"Please, papa…" whimpered Dawn, clasping her hands and shaking them before her father in earnest. "Please…"

The sight of Dawn begging was too much for Sun to take, and he couldn't stop the grin that sliced across his lips at the sight. "Hmm… I suppose I can be lenient this _one_ time..."

"Yes!" cried Dawn as she ran forward to wrap her arms tight around her father's legs. "Yes, thank you, papa-!"

But Dawn was cut off. Sun took her arms gently from around his legs and held her hands softly in his as he knelt before her, gazing into her storm-grey eyes with his own. For the second time that night Dawn watched as her father's demeanor once again changed on a dime. There was none of the haughty boastfulness he so gleefully displayed just seconds ago; only complete, honest concern.

"But if I'm not gonna punish you," said Sun, his voice so soft Dawn almost wondered if he had been truly angry at her even once throughout this entire evening, "I want you to tell me something."

Dawn hesitated for a moment. "Yes, papa…?"

"Why... do you think mama doesn't love you?"

The question caught Dawn off-guard, flinching as it was asked.

"Please, baby. I want to know why," whispered Sun as he rubbed Dawn's tiny fingers in his massive hands. "I won't get mad if you tell me, I swear."

Dawn fidgeted uncomfortably where she stood. Her thoughts were a whirlwind in her head, some telling her to keep silent and others reminding her of all the times her father listened to her without a single comment or interruption. The Sun she knew and loved so dearly shined through the cold, unyielding demeanor he had showed tonight when she thought of entertaining the latter of the two ideas running through her head. She wanted _that_ version of Sun back. She wanted her papa back.

"You… swear, papa?" asked Dawn tentatively.

He nodded his head, crossing an "x" across his chest before holding his palm up with a loving and yet solemn smile. "I swear."

Silence fell over the two as Dawn struggled with herself to speak, twitching and grumbling and fidgeting all while avoiding her father's gazing. Then, after a final and decisive huff, Dawn whispered: "It's just…"

"Yes?" asked Sun, rubbing Dawn's hands as she paused to find her words.

"It's just that… mama's always away at work and stuff. But whenever she comes back home, Dusk's always the one she goes to first. She's always holding him and playing with him before she comes to me, and she always asks me to give him my toys and to go easy on him because he's just a baby," said Dawn. Speaking felt like a balloon full of hot air being steadily deflated the longer Dawn spoke, and she found herself continuing on because of it. "I want to play with mama. I want to talk with mama, but she always just walks past me to be with Dusk and I don't know why it's always him first and me next. It's not fair…"

Another pause as Sun watched Dawn's shoulders tremble, her hand wiping something from her downturned face she wouldn't let him see. After, though, her head lifted to look her father in the eyes with a determined sadness. " _That's_ why I think mama loves Dusk more than me. _That's_ why I think mama doesn't love me."

Sun sat back on his haunches, making sounds of low concentration which Dawn believed meant he was messing with her until he looked back to her and asked: "So you really think mama loves Dusk more than she does you, don't you?"

"Yeah," answered Dawn without hesitation.

"And you really think she doesn't love you?"

Dawn hesitated, then answered: "... Yeah."

"At all?"

Dawn answered by nodding her head and again, Sun sat back on his haunches to think to himself with a low, humming noise. Then, suddenly, Dawn saw her father glance the bucket of soapy water still sitting beside the bathroom door and he grinned widely, mischievously. Without a word, he took the bucket and mop into the bathroom where he removed the mop and held the bucket in his hands as though to weigh its contents.

"Papa?" asked Dawn. "What're you… doing?"

"Stay right there," said Sun before promptly shutting the bathroom door in Dawn's face. From inside, Dawn could hear a loud sloshing like the bucket being emptied before abruptly stopping for a few moments and continuing again shortly after. The sound arose once or twice more in smaller and smaller volumes until after the final pause, footsteps clamored back to the door and it was flung back open. Sun stood above Dawn with an odd expression of both seriousness and amusement as he held the bucket in the curve of his arm, cradling it as though it were some kind of precious cargo.

Dawn glanced once to the bucket, then up to her father. "Papa, what-?"

"For hitting your little brother and saying mean things to your mother," explained Sun as he nudged the bucket into Dawn's chest, "you're gonna stand right here and carry this bucket until I say you can stop."

"Wha-?!" cried Dawn, ready to protest had her father not almost dropped the bucket onto the floor, forcing her to catch it before it did.

"I gotta go pee right now. Remember," quipped Sun, speaking from around the corner of the doorway. "Until I say stop. Not a moment earlier."

With that, the door slammed shut in Dawn's face again.

"Daaaad…" complained Dawn, but she could already hear the loud trickling from the other side of the door and she knew it was too late. The bucket in her hands was lighter than it had been while she mopped, but that didn't mean much seeing as how she'd had to carefully drag it across the floor when it _was_ full of water. Now mostly emptied, the bucket was only heavy enough that she could have carried it had she not been busying herself all evening with cleaning, putting away, scrubbing, grabbing, giving, wiping, sweeping, and mopping the entire kitchen.

The thoughts drew Dawn's attention to the soreness of her arms, which made the load harder for her to carry the longer they lingered. She cast them out with a huff, and fixed her stance to continue carrying it.

"Remember! Until I say stop!"

Tossing the handle in her arms helped for a little bit. Then it became too painful to do that, and she simply remained still while she held it. Dawn's arms burned from the continuous weight and her shoulders screamed for rest as she clenched her jaws tight.

"Papa-!" whimpered Dawn.

"Until I say stop!"

The pain reached an unbearable peak and Dawn had had enough. Screw her father's weird punishment; her arms _hurt_ , and she didn't care anymore what he might do to her. She dropped the pail carefully onto the ground, then immediately sat down away from the bathroom in clear defiance. While she rubbed her arms tenderly, the door creaked open and Sun's head peeked out from around the corner. Dawn saw this and whipped away from him, holding her chin high with rebellion.

"I don't remember telling you to stop," quipped Sun thoughtfully.

"It's too heavy. My arms hurt," said Dawn, refusing to meet her father's questioning gaze. He doesn't want me to be hurt, so maybe he'll understand, Dawn thought to herself. She certainly wouldn't be lying, that was for sure.

While she waited for her father's reply, she heard the door shut again and then heard the sound of running water from the other side as Sun washed his hands. When the door opened again, her father walked around to sit cross-legged before Dawn as he bounced the bucket of water affectionately to himself in his calloused hands. "So, it was too heavy, was it?"

"Yes, papa, it was," answered Dawn, crossing her arms.

"So you gave up?" asked Sun, looking to Dawn as he asked the question. "Just like that, you gave up? Because it was too heavy?"

"Yes, my arms were sore from cleaning the whole kitchen, _remember?_ " jabbed Dawn, emphasizing the last word to get across that she was upset; something she didn't think her father understood from how casually he was acting.

"I see…" muttered Sun to himself. He tossed the bucket in his hands again and chuckled softly to himself.

"What's so funny?" asked Dawn in a low voice, her annoyance towards her father becoming harder and harder to contain.

"Oh nothing, nothing, just… something," laughed Sun. The way he handled the bucket now was the same way he'd handled it just before emptying it. He was comparing the weight of the bucket to something in his memory; a warm one, judging by how affectionately he handled it.

Then, all at once, he caught the bucket and didn't toss it again.

"You know," said Sun as he held it out for Dawn to see, "this bucket weighs about as much as you did when you were born."

Dawn's disdainful glare softened, her eyes growing wide with the revelation. She was still supposed to be upset towards her father, she knew, but... I... was that heavy? She pondered to herself. Was I really that heavy?

Before she could continue her train of thought, Sun placed the bucket down and pulled out his scroll from his side pocket.

"I want to show you something I think you should see, Dawn," muttered Sun as he tapped and dragged his fingers across the touchscreen. When he found it, he let out a small "yep" and scooted himself next to Dawn, holding it out for to both of them to see.

It was a picture of her mother, heavily pregnant, sleeping with an open book beside her on the bed while her raven-black hair obscured most of face in an explosion of purest midnight. The morning light was just beginning to pour in when the picture was taken, but was enough to illuminate the warm smile curling Blake's lips as the generous swell of her growing belly glowed like a beautiful full moon off the white silk of her nightgown. Her left arm was wrapped gently around the lunar surface in a gesture as protective as it was warm, caring, motherly, and hopeful. Dawn had never seen anyone more serene, more radiant, or more beautiful in her entire life, and was unsure in that moment whether she would ever see anyone who could ever come close.

"I took this picture barely a month before you were born," said Sun, his voice soft as he tapped his finger on Blake's swelling stomach. "That was you right there, in mama's belly."

Dawn's fingers reached out to touch the screen, resting atop the growing expanse of her mother's womb, and felt her heart beat longingly in her chest at the sight. "That big, heavy thing… was me?"

"Mmhm. Your mother had to carry that big, heavy thing around in her tummy for nine whole months."

"Nine months?!" cried Dawn.

"Eighteen, counting your little brother, too. Two pregnancies. You first, then Dusk a year later," said Sun with a chuckle, running his hand through his hair. "Your mother was a… fruitful one, that's for sure..."

Dawn put the numbers together in her head and, upon reaching the eighteen months as her father had, couldn't believe her mother had spent a year and a half carrying that bucket _twice._ "That's insane!"

"No," said Sun flatly, "that's love. When you gave up after a few minutes, your mama carried you around in her tummy and kept you safe for nine whole months until she gave birth to you. And don't forget that _after_ you were born she _still_ took care of you while _also_ carrying your brother around in her tummy for _another_ nine months until giving birth to him!"

Dawn's hand pressed against her forehead while she took all the information in. The stories she'd heard about her mother saving the world from The Cataclysm, about being one of the most celebrated Huntresses of the age. It made no sense to Dawn, but all of that seemed inconsequential to her when compared to this burden she carried twice for no other reason but for… herself and… for her brother…

Sun lifted Dawn's chin then, meeting her gaze with a warm and fatherly smile that could only come from the man who raised her, and asked: "Do you think she would endure all that if she didn't truly, completely love you with all her heart?"

Dawn felt her heart break in her chest as her father's finger left her chin. She heard the cruel things she'd said to her little brother as well as to her mother echo in her head. She wanted to take them back. To go back and never say them in the first place. To never make her family cry because of her own blind anger ever again. She wanted to tell her mother that she loved her. She wanted to let her know she didn't mean the things she said. She never wanted her mama to think she didn't love her ever again, or that she didn't love the little brother she also worked so hard to keep safe in her tummy the same way she had been kept safe before, herself.

She loved her mama. She loved her mama and her little brother and she just wished there was some way she could let them know.

Dawn thought all of these things, but when the sound of her own sobbing reached her ears she realized she had been wailing them at the top of her lungs the whole time. Her arms wrapped tightly around her father's neck while she buried her face into his shoulder as she cried and cried and cried. His massive hand rubbed Dawn's back in small circles while the other cradled her head so very gently in its large grip, threading his fingers sweetly through her black hair.

"I'm so sorry, papa…" whimpered Dawn. "I'm so sorry…"

"Shhhh… I know, baby. It's alright," whispered Sun as he pressed a kiss against her head and continued whispering into her wild, raven-black hair. "I know you didn't mean what you said. It's alright..."

"I do love mama… I do, I do, I do love mama..."

"I know sweetie… I know."

The emptiness inside of Dawn was cool and refreshing now that the embers of her anger were well and truly extinguished. In their place, the fatigue of the night's labors flooded in and she found it suddenly immensely difficult to keep her eyes open while she sobbed out the last of her tears against Sun's broad chest. Darkness blended with her sight and she remembered only quaint bits and pieces of memory while her exhaustion caused her vision to distort with her consciousness. The feeling of resting snugly in her father's arms as he carried her up the stairs, the soft sound of a conversation between her parents, then finally looking up from where she was tucked snugly into her bed to see her mother's face outlined by the light from the hallway as though a beautiful angel had come down to wish her goodnight.

"Mama…?" groaned Dawn. She shifted in her bed to rise, but her mother's hand pressed her back down as a warm and loving kiss was planted upon her forehead. Her eyes slid shut as she leaned into the kiss, and another was planted on her temple while she settled herself back under the covers with the guiding hands of her mother.

"Shhhhhh… Go to sleep, baby," Blake breathed into her daughter's tiny ear. "Just rest now, okay?"

"Mmhm," mumbled Dawn with a sleepy grin, "I love you, mama..."

Her mother's hand gently swept Dawn's hair from her cheek and planted another kiss there, her breath trembling as she did. "I love you so much, sweetie. I love you more than you could ever possibly know…"

A single teardrop fell upon the silken skin of Dawn's cheek as her world fell away into the darkness of sleep.

"My beautiful, beautiful Dawn…"

xXx

Dawn woke the next morning to the sound of rain gently rapping against her window, one of her favorite sounds to wake up to. Lifting her head, she watched the curtains of water pouring down the glass pane and suddenly felt a strange, unwashed feeling arise from an itch in the middle of her scalp. She remembered her father took her to her room last night after she was finished cleaning the kitchen and-

Aw, gross, I didn't shower last night… Aw, gross, I'm still wearing my clothes from last night!

Dawn leapt from her bed, ran to her drawers to pull out some clothes, then bolted to the bathroom at the end of the hall to fill the bathtub with warm water. When it was full, she cast off her clothes and washed out the grime from last night, remembering the events, the exhaustion, and the crying, but most importantly remembering what she needed to do to make things right.

Her father hadn't told her to apologize to her mother.

As always, Dawn combed out the long hair she grew behind her head and braided it into a ponytail after her shower, the result like a tail in itself as it flowed down from the rest of her wild, shortly-cropped hair. When it was finished, she looked at herself in the mirror and slapped her hands on her cheeks the way she'd seen her father often do before going to work in the morning.

Sun hadn't told her to apologize to her mother. She didn't need to be told. Not today.

The outside storm was loud as Dawn made her way down the stairs through the living room to her parents' bedroom. Her father was at work by now, she knew, so only Blake would be in there, probably sleeping in on her first full day back home.

Dawn cringed at the thought. Her mom wasn't home for even a full day and she had already made her cry. What a way to welcome her back.

When Dawn entered the room, it was dimly lit if not for the occasional lightning strike illuminating the entire room with its momentary flash. The meager light which did pour in was defined only by the shadows of falling water as they danced across the walls in smooth, rippling waves. She could see the lump on the bed outlining her mother's sleeping form, slowly rising and falling with each relaxed breath taken. She placed her hands on the ends of the bed and was about to climb up when lightning flashed and Dawn noticed something in the corner of her vision.

It was on her father's work desk. A second glance revealed it was none other than the armless form of Mr. Stripes.

She walked over and picked it up, amazed at the damage she'd done in her jealous fit. _Her_ toy, _her_ oldest, bestest, most favorite toy… destroyed by her own hands.

She took it in her arms, went back to where her mother slept, and climbed up on the bed. Dawn stopped for a moment, remembering the picture Sun had shown of Blake when she was pregnant with her, then crawled silently forward and nudged her mother's arm. "Mama…"

Blake stirred from beneath her black waves of unkempt hair, then her feline ears perked up atop her head as her eyes fluttered open. She saw her daughter kneeling before her on the bed and a sad, tired smile stretched across her lips. Blake inhaled sharply and lifted a hand to rub her eyes, dry from last night's tears, as she cleared her throat. "Morning, kitten..."

"Morning mama…" answered Dawn, lowering her gaze as she fidgeted with Mr. Stripes in her arms. She'd had an apology ready, but seeing her mother in the state she'd caused her to be in deepened her guilt so much that she forgot what she had wanted to say. "I'm… I…"

Blake lifted herself with an arm and slid the other gently along her daughter's calf, squeezing it gently, warmly. "What is it, sweetie?"

"I…" Dawn's thoughts trailed off yet again. As her mother caressed her leg, she couldn't stand her hesitance any longer, and she thrust Mr. Stripes forward.

Blake yelped in surprise. "Dawn, what-?"

"I… I want you to show me how to fix Mr. Stripes," declared Dawn at last.

Blake glanced around the doll to see a face of determination she knew could only belong to her daughter, a face blushing with knit eyes in a resolute sureness doing very little to mask her childish demeanor.

"Please," Dawn finished.

Blake thought for a minute about this, still surprised by the request, then smiled.

It had been quite some time since she last knit. She hoped she hadn't gotten rusty.

xXx

"I made him for the both of you, you know."

Dawn walked back up the stairs with a strength in her step she hadn't had before. She was certain it was because she held Mr. Stripes in her hands, his front paws held securely in their rightful place by two zig-zagging ropes of expertly-knit silk,

"When I learned I was pregnant with your little brother, I wanted to give you something made with my own two hands that you could both share."

One strand pink,

"So you could learn to play with one another. Learn to get along with one another and live together."

The other blue.

"So when your father and I aren't around anymore, I'll at least know you both would have each other if times ever got rough when you're out there, living your own lives."

She found herself at the top of the stairs then walked to a stop in front of Dusk's room. Dawn took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment.

"Never turn your back on family, Dawn."

She opened them.

"Never turn your back on your little brother."

She opened the door and walked in. The storm was beginning to quiet and when she looked out the window, Dawn could see sunlight pouring in through punctures in the heavy gray clouds above.

Dusk was just a little lump as he slept in his strange crib-bed hybrid, a sight that only added to the fragility of the little boy as he tossed about in his sleep in the funny contraption.

Dawn held Mr. Stripes close to her chest, then slid down the gate as quietly as she could manage and placed the stuffed tiger into his arms. The effect was immediate, and she watched her little brother squeeze the doll with a beaming, affectionate smile and toss around with it before settling still with a contented huff of a sigh. As he nudged his head of golden curls tighter against the toy, Dawn found herself beaming as well, and she descended to kiss her little brother gently on his forehead.

"I love you, little brother," whispered Dawn, lips brushing his baby-soft skin. She raised the bars back up and turned to walk back out the room, looking once over her shoulder to make sure all was well before quietly shutting the door behind her.

Just before it shut, Dawn could swear she heard Dusk mutter something in his sleep.

"Love you, too, big sis…"

xXx

 **A/N: Ah, that was a fun'n to write. Sadly, that was the last of my pre-written short-stories to be edited and published, so no new chapters will be uploaded for a little while. Fret not, though, I am still hard at work trying to pump out as much writing as humanly possible while still on break. Not to mention a brand-new fanfic of mine is currently in the alpha stages of writing…**

 **In the meantime, I feel like now's as good a time as any to put up what I'm going to affectionately refer to from now on as the "Chapter Soundtrack." From now on, at the beginning of each of my chapters I will provide a list of all the music I listened to while writing and/or editing the story. Hopefully it'll give you an improved feeling of what was going through my head while I was creating the story, placing extra weight on some emotional bits, adding some fun for the light-hearted bits, the works.**

 **More often than not, I will list the music ordered by when in the story it would be most appropriate to be played (For example, I wrote the finale of this chapter with Jon Brion's "Resolution" in mind), but keep in mind most of the songs I listened to I did so on repeat to keep my head in the mood and tone of a particular scene (Takagi Masakatsu's "Wolf Children Soundtrack" has been vital to how I've been writing all the B.S.K. chapters, and has my most-often repeated songs while writing. Listen to the ones I recommend and I'm sure you'll understand rather quickly why). In a nutshell, I've listed the songs as I listened to them whilst writing, but however, (if ever), you choose to listen to them and in what order doesn't matter to me.**

 **Listening to them is optional of course, but, hey, I'm giving out free recommendations for your reading pleasure. Ignore at your own peril.**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **Nene," "Bosomed String," "Newborn, Naked Morning," "Oyoste Aina," "Gasabura Taata," "Tanememi," "Hifumi (Medicine Song)," "The Day I Got The Sun," "All The Warm Lives," "Weave Your World"**_ **\- Takagi Masakatsu,** _ **"Wolf Children Soundtrack"**_

" _ **One Summer's Day"**_ **– Joe Hisaishi,** _ **"Spirited Away (Original Soundtrack)"**_

" _ **Resolution"**_ **– Jon Brion,** _ **"ParaNorman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)"**_

 **-[Optional Songs]-**

" _ **Two Of Us"**_ **– performed by Aimee Mann,** _ **"I Am Sam (Original Soundtrack)"**_

 **Thanks again for reading, and until next time,**

 **-M.E. Grimm**


	4. Holding On To You

**Author's Greetings:**

 _ **Of course, in loving memory of Monty Oum, who gave colors to the world so I could learn how to make my own.**_

 **Wow. One year.**

 **A whole year since I re-uploaded this onto FF and let it sit for the third and final time. I feel like I've made more progress as a writer than I deserve, but I'm also glad the stories I'm writing are now beginning to match my ambitions for the kinds of stories I want to exist.**

 **Meaning that this time, this chapter will be uploaded and will STAY uploaded, thank you very much.**

 **I wish I knew the proper way to write my thanks to all you gals and guys who've read my fanfictions and enjoyed them. Whether you've been here since one year ago today or you're just reading this story for the first time, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading this thing I've pulled out from my heart and mind that I've cleaned up to the best of my writing abilities and presented to you in the hopes you'll enjoy it. My life's been one of struggles and failures and disappointments and of not really being sure exactly what I was put here to do because nothing I've ever done has ever stood out from the crowd. Without you guys to let me know I was good at writing, I would never have tried harder to get better at it. I would never have rediscovered the joys of reading books nor discover the benefit they had in improving my abilities to tell stories.**

 **I would never have found out that writing was my true calling, and one I was willing to dedicate time to it completely of my own volition.**

 **Writing makes me feel alive like nothing else does.**

 **And I have all you guys to thank for reminding me why it's all worth the time.**

 **So for you guys, and to celebrate birthday of the kittens Dawn and Dusk, here's an extra-long chapter that was just hella fun to write.**

 **Because remember when BSK was all sweet, vanilla, family goodness?**

 **Heh, heh, heh…**

… **Enjoy. ;)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Four: Holding On To You**_ _ **)**_

 _ **("I Bet My Life"- Part 2)**_

xXx

 _After the events of Chapter Two…_

The sounds of his parents' arguing was something Dusk didn't often find himself waking up to. It was worrying, but then lots of things were nowadays.

Always they regarded his mother. It seemed she was always sad in days of late.

Dusk rustled beneath his covers to sit upright in his bed. Dawn was standing at his open door with a sad, grim expression on her face. He didn't need to ask her anything. Didn't need to ask her why she was here. The reason why made itself well-known as it barged in over her shoulder with an explosion of angry words.

"What? You don't think I should go and pay my respects to someone who _raised me_? Are you really telling me this, Sun?"

"I don't think you should be doing _anything_ with those freaks anymore! I think you had the right idea leaving that life behind ten years ago! What has he done for you, huh? What have those terrorists done for this family, Blake?! Well?!"

Dusk flinched with his sister from the force of their arguing. His parents rarely referred to one another by their first names. It was only ever when they were full-on serious about something or arguing like they were right now. He'd heard their names a lot lately, and it wasn't a good thing. It reminded him of all the times they'd call on _him_ when they were mad or about to scold him. _Dusk Wukong, you come down here this instant, young man!_

 _Blake, are you insane or just wrapped up in the guilt that monster's never felt?_

 _Sun, that isn't fair to say and you know it! You know me better than that!_

Dawn shut the door behind her and glanced back at Dusk in his bed. Even from here, he could see her storm-gray eyes heavy with concern and worry; something they both shared in the recent days gone by. He knew she didn't say anything out loud to this effect, but they both knew Dusk's troubled sleep made him look far worse than she did. Bags under his eyes. Waking up in the middle of the night because of on-and-off sleeping.

And his dreams…

 _("I wanted equality!")_

 _("WHAT YOU WANT IS IMPOSSIBLE!")_

 _(The sound of a slap across his mother's face.)_

 _(The wet shulk of a blade piercing his mother's body.)_

 _(Her scream. That horrible, pained scream.)_

 _(The red of fury. Consuming everything.)_

 _(The red blade striking. Cutting the ones he loved.)_

 _(Everything_ she _loved-)_

"Dusk."

The voice was Dawn's, snapping Dusk from his half-awake stupor. Meeting his big sister's eyes, he sees her nod. Dusk's eyes falter down despondently, then he throws the covers off and walks up to her just as the argument from downstairs breaches the top floor of the house.

"What good would it do now? We have a family to take care of now! You want to throw that aside to mourn a monster like _him_? You want to put your kids on hold and just disappear for someone who ruined countless lives?"

"How _dare_ you say something like that, Sun! I _love_ my children more than _anything else in this world! How_ _ **dare**_ _you say something so hideous!_ "

Dusk felt his big sister's hand wrap tightly around his. When he glanced up at her, he saw she was crouching on a knee and smiling weakly over her shoulder.

"Upsie-daisies?" asked Dawn in a small voice.

Dusk drew a small, tired smile. "Upsie-daisies."

As he had since he was very little, Dusk hopped onto Dawn's back and wrapped his arms gently across her neck as she hooked her arms around his legs. It was good to know in spite of this foreign infection of arguing there was a small zone of inhibition to be formed each time Dawn offered to hold him close like this. It helped to know there was at least one small section of his family that hadn't yet succumbed to the anger.

Dawn was especially good at sneaking even with his added weight on her back, and they descended the stairs with hardly a creak to be heard. They stopped at the edge of the opening to the living room and peeked over, Dusk being able to see a little more than Dawn when she leaned over.

A dull pain throbbed in Dusk's heart when he saw his mother there. Her normally luscious raven-black hair was unkempt and wiry from days of staying bedridden for long stretches of time. Her cream-white skin clearly lacked their touch of sunlight, and everyone in Dusk's family knew she was eating much less since that first phone call came in. He could see it in her wrists. Normally soft and graceful, now his mother's hands seemed thin and sinewy as they moved and curled into fists and pointed angry fingers at his father.

And her eyes. Always red with tears shed both in the dreams she woke from screaming or that she shed at random intervals throughout the day. It hurt Dusk to see her like this. Hurt him to see her like this on such a regular basis as he had the past couple of days since that first phone call. He wanted to do something to hopefully make her feel better, something to make her smile the way he knew his mother used to. Then Dawn scrambled back before they could be seen and the arguing of his parents came rushing back to his awareness.

"I don't expect you to understand why I care, Sun. I know I won't be able to explain that to you, but I don't want you to think I don't love our children. Don't you ever, _ever_ let me hear you say that _ever again!_ _**Ever!**_ "

The force of her yell made Dusk shiver even though it hadn't been directed at him at all. Beneath him, he could feel Dawn react the same way. He tightened his arms around Dawn's neck and pressed his face against hers with a small whimper. She nuzzled his cheek warmly, letting him know she understood. "I know, Dusk. It's alright. It's gonna be alright," she whispered.

"Babe," began Sun, but was cut off when Blake let out a disgusted huff, stomped back into her room, and slammed the door behind her. The click of the bolt lock was loud and deliberate like the firing of a warning shot. Sun sighed long and tired, then walked over to the door to knock on it a few times with gentle, unhurried taps of his knuckles. While he did, Dawn walked into the living room on her tip-toes, stopping behind one of the couches.

"Babe. Baby, I'm sorry, alright? I know… I know it's a hard time right now and I didn't mean to make you upset," said Sun into the door as though he were having an active conversation with his wife even if she didn't openly respond. From the way he spoke, Dusk would never have guessed he even fought with her at all. His words were so soft and gentle to listen to. "I don't mind if you're mad at me, that's fine, but… don't keep the door locked all day, okay? Let the kids spend some time with you while I'm gone. I know they'll help you feel a little better…"

He paused like he was waiting for a response of some kind from the other side. None came, and he chuckled softly to himself. "Babe."

Stubborn silence for a few seconds. Then from beyond the door, "What."

Sun pressed his lips against the door and gave it a warm kiss, loud enough for Blake to hear. "I love you… Alright?"

There was only the smallest of grunts from the other side, then nothing else. Sun lingered there for a moment, then when it became clear he'd get nothing else from his wife at that time, he turned on his heel and walked towards the front door with his work bag in hand. Dawn reacted too late and tried to make it back to the stairwell but only managed to walk right into the open in front of her father.

"Dawn? Dusk? What are you two doing down here?" asked Sun with a jump.

Dawn cringed from her poor timing and eased Dusk off her back. "S-Sorry papa, it's just…"

"How's mama doing?" asked Dusk immediately. The little boy wrung his hands together as he stood there, the worry in his large golden eyes palpable. "We heard you both yelling… and we wanted to see if everything was alright…"

Sun smiled at his children, then took a knee before them with a loving sigh. "I'm sorry we woke you up with our arguing. We're both fine, don't you two worry. Your mother and I are just… at odds right now. Just a little argument, is all."

"You guys aren't gonna… you know… die-vorse, are you?" murmured Dawn nervously, the word mysterious and fearful for her to even think about, much less pronounce correctly.

"What? No! No! God, no! Your mother and I aren't splitting up! No way, sweetie, this…" Sun started to explain, but forced himself to stifle his own laughter before continuing on, "This is nowhere near close enough to rip your mother and I apart. Not by a longshot, and I'm a thousand percent sure she'd agree with me on that."

"Then what's wrong with mommy? Why is she so mad at you?" asked Dusk in a whimper.

Sun took a long breath, scratching his head as he thought of how he was going to word what he was about to say. He considered softening the facts a bit, maybe keeping a bit vague and just telling the barest minimum so as to not worry them too much. But looking at each of their faces, Sun knew beating around the bush with these kids would just cause more problems than it would be worth handling. He placed his hands on their shoulders and brought them close. "I think… you kids are smart enough to know the truth of what's happening right now, especially before anything else happens that'll confuse you both even further."

Neither Dusk nor Dawn said a word. Sun took this as indication for him to continue, and he did after breathing a long sigh. "The other day, your mother got a call from someone who told her someone she loved very dearly had just passed away."

 _(Adam.)_

"When she was about your age, Dusk, your mother lost her mama and papa in the middle of a White Fang protest-"

"What's a 'White Fang?'" asked Dawn. Dusk was partly glad Dawn was the one to ask the question. He had an idea of what it was, but like what he knew about this 'Adam' person, he was sure it wasn't everything there was to know about it.

"Well, the White Fang was an old Faunus-rights group made to help us get along with the humans after the Great War. They'd protest in the streets, try and raise awareness, but it never seemed to halt the cruelty of the humans towards us…" Sun paused here, running a hand through his hair as he shook his head ruefully from what he was about to say. "And sometimes… there were groups of humans who hated the Faunus who'd interrupt the White Fang's protests with violence…"

Dawn and Dusk were speechless. "Mama's parents were… killed?" whispered Dusk.

"Your grandparents were, yes." Sun lifted his head, his lips a flat, mournful line. He sighed, then his eyes flicked to his son's horrified expression. "She was your age when it happened, your mother. It was there that she met a boy named Adam Taurus who took her under his wing. Taught her everything she knew about survival and how to fight. They grew up like brother and sister and loved each other like siblings."

"And this Adam person is the one who just died?" asked Dawn.

Sun nodded.

"So then," said Dusk, "why don't you like him, papa?"

Sun opened his mouth to answer, but found himself hesitating. Dusk could see his father's expression curling and contorting while he warred with his own words. Then, Sun again took a deep breath and looked back to his son with honest eyes. "Because he was a terrorist. He was a murderer and a sadist who killed innocent people behind the mask of a good cause. Above all of that, he abused your mother. Stabbed her in her belly, right here," Sun poked the left side of his abdomen to show his kids. "You've seen the scar mommy has on her tummy, haven't you?"

Both children nodded, their eyes wide with horror. Dusk shivered. "He… stabbed mama?"

Sun nodded solemnly as he returned his hand to Dusk's shoulder. "Yes he did. Had the blade been a little more towards her middle, you kids might have never been born."

"How could he do something so horrible?" said Dawn, her voice trembling not from fear but anger.

"Because he craved control. He spent so long hating the humans as monsters that he became one, himself. He saw so many things wrong with everyone and everything around him that he never bothered to look at himself and see what he became," explained Sun.

Dusk ruminated silently on this new information and shook his head. If all of this was true, then what had he seen in his mother that afternoon? Who was the boy she cared about? Was it really the same person? So many different feelings clashed and clanged whenever he thought about this "Adam" person. He was beginning to think he wasn't supposed to understand it all right now, though he desperately wanted to.

"How can mama feel sorry for that man? It's so… horrible. He doesn't deserve niceness after doing those things to her!" proclaimed Dawn, her fists trembling with rage.

Dusk would have assumed his father would have agreed with her wholeheartedly, but even now Sun was reluctant to voice the same feelings. Behind him, Dusk could hear a soft weight press itself against the other side of his parents' bedroom door. He didn't say anything to warn his father. A feeling overcame him giving him the impression his mother needed to hear what Sun was about to say.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you, Dawn? But imagine if it was just you and Dusk and you two grew up together because you were all you had left. Imagine if Dusk did something horrible to you that made you never want to talk to him ever again, ever. How would you feel?" asked Sun.

"I… I guess if it was something really bad, I wouldn't talk to him for a really long time," answered Dawn. Her anger faltered when she considered the brevity of such a situation. "But… I don't know if I'd not want to talk to Dusk _ever_ again…"

"Now imagine Dusk passed away years later. Would you hate your little brother enough not to say one last goodbye?" asked Sun, the statement blunt and deliberate. It was clear to Dusk by how his storm-gray eyes appeared hard as steel that he wanted the both of them to understand the full weight of what he was saying. It sent a shiver down Dusk's spine and left a bad taste in his mouth to just think about.

Dawn's lip quivered as she took in a trembling breath. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "I… I don't know…"

Immediately, Sun brought both Dawn and Dusk into his arms, chuckling as he planted soothing kisses against Dawn's head. "It's alright baby. Your mother and I know you both love each other too much to let that happen." Then, Sun parted and caressed Dawn's cheek. "But now do you understand why your mother's sad? Why it's hard for her right now?"

Dawn grimaced, blinked away tears from her eyes. "But he hurt her…"

"I know, baby. I don't like it, either. But your mother's a grown woman, and I'm not gonna stop her from doing whatever it is she needs to do to put all of this behind her once and for all. If that takes her yelling and screaming at me to get her feelings off her chest, so be it. And you two," said Sun, smiling down at both his children now, "are gonna need to be there for her while I'm out at work. She's still very, very sad. It's important you kids do whatever she wants you to do without arguing, because she needs some time to move past all of this."

Sun turned to Dusk and ruffled his golden curls gently. "You're the man of the house while I'm out, alright? Take care of your mother and check up on her every once in a while to make sure she's feeling okay." He then turned to Dawn and playfully punched her shoulder. "That means you too, monkey. Take care of your little brother and spend some time with your mother whenever you can. The _both_ of you. I'm sure that'll help her feel better. It always does."

Dawn breathed an amused sigh. "We will, papa."

"We will, papa," answered Dusk.

Sun beamed down at the two kids.

"C'mere, you two," he hummed as he brought his children into his arms and planted two loving kisses into their wild messes of black and gold hair. "Love you both."

"Love you too," both replied dutifully.

They watched their father stand to his full height and pick up his briefcase as, with a warm wink, Sun walked out the front door and off to work. In the aftermath, Dawn and Dusk were left standing alone in the living room. The bolt lock of their parents' bedroom door clicked free, though it didn't open. Dusk could hear a presence on the other side shift a trail of soft footsteps ending with a hard creak of bedsprings.

Dawn and Dusk took one glance at each other and nodded before walking to the door. Dawn hoisted Dusk up on her back to reach the handle and pull it open as quietly as they could manage. Dawn tiptoed in and Dusk shut the door quietly behind them both before proceeding into the room.

They reached the bed. Dawn helped Dusk up before climbing up beside him. Their mother laid face-down on her pillow, her hair a briar of raven-black tendrils spreading in every direction. She was so motionless Dusk almost believed she wasn't breathing, though dashed these thoughts as he saw the soft rise and fall of her shoulders. Such was the way someone laid down when they expressly wanted to shut out the world completely. Despondent. Defeated. Tired.

A lump formed in Dusk's throat. His mother's nightgown was hiked up around her lower stomach enough to see the glaring white gash of which his father spoke of. Just beside her trim stomach and just above the shapely descent of her abdomen as it arched downward. A lightning bolt of hatred tattooed on her body.

Dusk crawled forward along the bed before Dawn could react and nudged himself under his mother's arm like he used to as a baby. As he burrowed, he buried his face beneath her unkempt hair and let his lips find the soft skin of her cheek before nuzzling himself close against her.

Blake knew the disturbance to be her son immediately upon waking from her momentary sleep, and pulled aside her hair from her eyes to confirm the golden-eyed boy staring at her with a genuine worry she wished he didn't wear. A warm, sad chuckle hummed deep inside of her and she ran her fair hand through his golden hair. "Hey, baby…"

Dusk immediately wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his face into her midnight locks as he held her close. On her other side, he could hear Dawn moving to wrap her arms around Blake's neck as well. Neither child said a word, though both could feel their mother's gentle sobbing flutter to life as she held their heads as though handling precious glass.

"Oh, my children…" whimpered Blake. She sat herself up, holding her children close against her and kissing their heads with tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Her breaths fluttered through Dusk's hair as she did something like laugh and cry at the same time. Happiness or relief coalescing with the overwhelming sadness blanketing her spirits.

Dusk released his arms from his mother's neck to let her sit up correctly, descending around her stomach as did Dawn did the same. Both pressed themselves tight against Blake, not letting go even if the world burst into flames. Blake ran her fingers in small circles through their hair, kneading at small collections she'd collect in her fingers and cherishing how warm they felt beneath her hands. Their hearts beat against her body as she held them close. Her babies. Her kittens.

She pulled on their shoulders and wiped her eyes as she glanced between Dawn and Dusk with a weary smile. "You both know I love you very much, don't you?"

Dusk watched Blake's hand fall atop where he knew her scar was, saw fresh tears fall from her eyes as her fingers curled atop the fabric. Her question was unlike any other time Dusk had heard his mother ask it. It wasn't a happy way she said it. More like she was letting them know she was thankful. Thankful they were both here.

Thankful the blade hadn't been just a little more towards her middle…

 _("I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love…")_

Dusk threw his arms around his mother again, wrapping them tight as he felt his own tears beginning to flow. "I love you, too, mama."

"Me too," whispered Dawn, her voice quavering as she also leaned forward to embrace her mother, holding her close.

Blake found herself momentarily stunned, but then felt a small chuckle escape her as she wrapped her arms around her children and let her tears flow a second time. A second silence came as her tears emptied themselves with her children's. She pulled away gently, holding Dawn's and Dusk's hands in hers. "I'm sorry… All of this must make you both so worried. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, mama. Papa told us not to worry about you two divorcing because you wouldn't break up from one fight," said Dawn.

Blake laughed, the sound bright like Dawn and Dusk remembered whenever their father whispered something into her in her ear that caused her to slap his shoulder. Dusk felt a warmth bloom inside him from the sight of his mother's smile. Even though it'd been a few days, it felt like he'd missed it for so long.

"I know, baby. I could hear him talking to you two in the living room. Your father…" Blake paused for a moment, taking in a trembling breath and then exhaling with a weary sigh. "Your father is a good man. And he's right. I love him very much. He's right to tell you two not to worry."

Something pressed against Blake's lower left hip that sent a haunting shiver down her spine. Her hand shot out to snatch it in a flash of motion and was shocked when her son's little fingers poked out from her tightly clenched fist, pulling it away from the very wound that almost prevented his existence. There was silence as her golden eyes met Dusk's. She saw how startled he was from the force of her reaction, and her heart ached as he dipped his gaze down and away from her, sure he'd done something to upset her.

"He… told us about mister Adam… and what he did to you…" mumbled Dusk.

Gently, Blake returned her son's hand to his lap and then stroked his cheek with a somber sigh. "I know, sweetie. I heard what he said…"

"Was it true? Did he hurt you?" asked Dawn. Blake could feel her daughter's fist scrunching up her nightgown. "Was he a murderer? A terrorist? A skate-ist?"

"Yes, Dawn, he was all of those things. And it's 'sadist' not… 'skate-ist,'" said Blake, her voice lowering as she explained to her daughter the correct way to say 'sadist.' "He did hurt me and a lot of other people during The Cataclysm, including your auntie Yang."

Dusk's eyes grew wide. His dream flashed crimson in his memory-

 _(The red blade striking. Cutting the ones he loved.)_

\- and he shuddered from a sudden chill. All the times auntie Yang held him so securely in her mechanical arm, gave him a noogie, bounced him to sleep on her shoulder…

"You mean auntie Yang lost her arm… because of this man?" whispered Dawn, her voice shaking with horror.

Blake's face was grim as she nodded almost shamefully.

"But… papa said he raised you like a little sister. Why would he be so mean to you, mama?" asked Dusk in a small voice. "Why would he do these horrible things to everyone?"

Blake turned down to her son, her mouth open as if to answer, but quickly stopped herself when she realized his question was her own. That question, the one that could tell her why her adoptive brother lost his heart and became a monster. Could tell her what she had missed while he descended into a darkness she'd never seen until it was far too late.

Blake's lips flattened into a grim line and she grimaced, shaking her head. She looked to Dusk with eyes glistening in pools of latent tears. "I wish I knew, Dusk. I wish to God I knew the answer to that…"

Dusk watched his mother's tears flowing gently from her eyes and dipped his chin, ashamed he'd asked her the question in the first place. But then, he felt her hand lift his chin up again and saw her smiling warmly down at him.

"But in the end, he couldn't take everything I loved from me. It's important for you to remember that, baby. I have your aunts and uncles. I have your father," Blake's arms reached around her children to scoop them into her embrace as she fell back with them onto the bed, giggling with Dawn and Dusk as she held their heads against her chest and kissed them both tenderly on their cheeks. "And now I have you two beautiful kittens in my life…"

Dusk nuzzled his cheek against his mother's chest, but cried out in shock when Blake flipped both he and his sister over and relentlessly tickled them both with a devious grin.

"And… I… Love… You… Both… Sooooooo much!" Blake proclaimed through clenched teeth as she stabbed her fingers in and around her children's bellies, armpits, and various other places that made them squeal with delight. She finished by scooping them up into her arms a second time and holding them in her embrace as she kissed their heads one at a time over and over again. "I love you both so… so much…"

Dusk felt his heart beat to the same elegant rhythm as his mother's as he pressed his cheek against her breast. Opening one eye, he met Dawn's gaze as she smiled and winked back at him from the other side of their mother. Her eyes closed and Dusk took that as the indication to roll his eyes shut as well.

There Blake sat with her children in her arms, slowly rocking back and forth as she hummed soft lullabies to them as she did when they were just babies. Dusk and Dawn barely noticed when Blake took them down to lie on the bed beside her, and both were fast asleep in no time.

When she was certain both kids were no longer awake, Blake extracted herself from the bed as stealthily as she could manage and lifted Dawn into her arms. She made extra sure to not wake her daughter as she carried her back up to her room and tucked her carefully back underneath her covers.

Dawn mumbled soft little nothings to herself in her sleep that Blake couldn't help but smile at. She brushed the hair from her daughter's cheek and kissed her soft skin as though it were a holy artifact. "I love you, my beautiful Dawn."

Next, Blake carried Dusk in her arms back up to his room. He was so small, so gentle, so innocent as he slept against her shoulder. She tucked him back into bed as well.

Dusk's beautiful face lit up as Blake scratched behind the golden kitten ears he'd inherited from her. The boy's sleepy giggling reminded Blake of his father, and she began to weep without warning as she watched her son sleep so peacefully in his bed.

 _Had the blade been a little towards her middle, you kids might not have been born…_

As fast as she could, Blake wiped the tears from her eyes and cradled Dusk's head as she pressed a tearful kiss against her son's cheek. "I love you, my wonderful little Dusk..."

She made sure she was out of the room and the door shut behind her when she allowed her weeping to escape once more. Her legs gave out on the bottom of the stairs and she cradled her head in her hands, her tears pooling in her fingers and dripping through the spaces between.

Then, when the tears were all dried and she couldn't cry any longer, Blake went into her room. On the inside of her closet was a switch that revealed her secret armory where Gambol Shroud hung on a rack. She took it, donned a practicing uniform made for the cold, and went outside. For the better portion of the day, Blake was out in the backyard, training and drilling herself just the way she had been taught to do. These last couple of days had left her too stunned to do anything but glower about the house aimlessly like a ghost.

But with each swing and each trained stroke of her trusted weapon, Blake felt the rest of the world melt away. Her senses sharpened. Her weariness evaporated. Her sadness trimmed itself into calm, then into focus.

And in her focus, Blake knew what it was she had to do.

xXx

The next day, Dawn and Dusk were surprised to notice they hadn't been awoken by the sounds of their parents' arguing downstairs. Dusk got up and opened his door at the same time Dawn and both looked at each other with surprise on their faces. Dawn shrugged. Dusk felt that about summed up how he felt as well, and didn't comment further.

"Did papa go to work?" asked Dawn.

Dusk glanced back to see the time on his bedside clock. A little past ten-thirty. "He should have. It's kinda late, you know?"

"Yeah…" Dawn's thought trailed off, hanging in the air as the best way to describe the strange atmosphere that morning.

Both kids went back into their rooms to dress before venturing down the stairs. The smell of breakfast wafted into their nostrils, their tummies grumbling instantly. The two hastened down the stairs and rounded the corner to see their mother at the stove flipping pancakes into plates she placed at the dining table.

"Morning, kittens," greeted Blake. Not chipper, not sad, but spoken in a tone Dusk recognized when she was in a normal emotional state. The smile she gave her kids as they entered the kitchen was gentle, though not expressly happy. At the very least, it seemed to Dusk she was feeling much better than she had this time yesterday.

Both greeted their mother with hugs, but Dusk lingered at the hem of Blake's apron longer than Dawn and looked up to her with concern. "How're you feeling today, mama?"

Blake chuckled, ruffling her son's wild gold hair as she guided him over to his seat. "Better," she answered as she helped him scoot in towards his food, lowering to kiss him on his cheek. "Thanks for asking."

Blake walked over to Dawn and kissed her cheek as well before returning to the stove. Dawn glanced at Dusk from across the table and smiled when she saw how relieved her little brother was. Dusk smiled back and both kids shoveled into their breakfasts ravenously.

When finished, Dawn and Dusk returned their plates to Blake and thanked her for the food. Dusk gave his plate to his mother, then noticed she was wearing an outfit she usually wore when going out with her fellow Huntresses.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?" hummed Blake, "What is it, baby?"

"Are you… going out today?"

As soon as Dusk asked his question, the doorbell rang.

"I got it!" called Dawn from across the house. There was the sound of the stepladder scraping across the floor, then Dawn's ascending steps as she opened the front door with a gasp. "Auntie Weiss!"

"Hello, my beautiful little niece!" crooned a regal voice from the front of the house Dusk knew could only belong to his auntie Weiss. He exited the kitchen and saw a woman with snow white hair tied in a ponytail wearing a double-breasted white dress as she held his big sister in a tight hug. Weiss's bright ice-blue eyes spotted Dusk immediately and a warm smile grew across her fair face. She opened her arms towards him. "Well, don't just stand there! Aren't you gonna come over here and give your auntie Weiss a great big hug or not?"

Dusk of course wasted no time and bounded into her arms. She always smelled so nice whenever he hugged her. Probably some top-end shampoo or body wash or perfume she put on. Even when it came to visiting her teammate's children, it seemed Weiss never went anywhere without looking her absolute best.

"It's nice to see you auntie Weiss," chuckled Dusk as he parted from her embrace.

Weiss beamed down at the little boy. "And it's nice to see you both as well. But if you don't mind, I'm actually here to speak with your mother. Could you tell me where she is, please?"

Dusk was about to answer her question when he heard his mother step out from the kitchen. Her apron was gone, no longer hiding her white button-up long-sleeved shirt and black jeans she'd been wearing underneath. Her expression when she watched Weiss stand to her full height was something between somber and serious. When he glanced up to Weiss, she seemed to be wearing a similar expression as well. A silent understanding was reached between the two. Both knew why auntie Weiss was here.

"Hey Weiss," said Blake.

"Hello, Blake," replied Weiss. A brief silence fell between the two.

It was broken when the rumbling of a motorcycle engine grew somewhere beyond the open door of Dusk's house and roared louder and louder the closer it came. Dawn and Dusk glanced around Weiss's long legs and watched as their auntie Yang's Bumblebee growled to a roaring halt in their driveway. The driver dismounted as she removed the helmet from her head, shaking loose the long waves of golden blonde hair out behind her.

"Auntie Yang!" cried Dusk gleefully.

The beautiful pugilist identified the voice of her young nephew immediately, and she jogged into the house with a pirate smile. She fell to a knee and accepted Dusk into her arms with a hearty laugh. "Ooooooh, you little sweetie! Let me hold you so I can just dunk you in my coffee and drink you all up!"

Dusk giggled incessantly as his auntie Yang drilled his scalp with a vigorous noogie and peppered his cheek with loud, sloppy kisses. Then, he was tucked into her right arm as Dawn also came forward to greet Yang with her own warm welcome. Now more than ever, Dusk could feel the metal beneath her clothes and the pulsing warmth it radiated as it moved with her every unconscious thought. His eyes flickered down to the cybernetic hand clasping his shoulder so gently, noticed in closer detail than ever before the ornate patterns of writhing scales tracing up and down her gunmetal-black and solar-gold prosthetic.

A shiver ran down Dusk's spine when he realized he had never seen her real arm before. There was a time when it was flesh and bone. And because of mister Adam…

"Hey, Yang," greeted Blake. She had walked into the main entrance of her house and stood with her hands on her hips, her gaze dipped slightly down. There was only a fleeting smirk in the corner of her lips, but it seemed almost sad to look at. No, Dusk knew what that expression looked like. It made even more sense when he saw his auntie Yang's mirthful smile dissipate into cool seriousness as she noticed his mother standing before her.

It was apologetic.

Yang uncoiled her arms from her niece and nephew and stood to her full height without saying a word. Her cybernetic hand rested on her cocked hip as she nodded a basic, unamused greeting at the Faunus mother. "Morning, Blake."

Dusk glanced over his shoulder and saw he was standing in the middle of this serious discourse of adults. He didn't want to be there any longer, and he scrambled over to Dawn as she stood out of their way. He huddled close to his big sister as the silence deafened the house.

"Is Ruby on her way?" Blake asked Yang softly.

Yang only nodded as she gestured into the living room where a tall figure donning a crimson cloak had materialized behind Blake's children from seemingly nowhere. Dusk noticed the barely detectible whoosh of air, the fleeting flares of rose petals flickering out of existence in the corners of his vision before the grim presence came into his realization. Both he and his sister jumped in surprise, but neither were frightened as two slender arms wrapped completely in velvet emerged from the cloak to pull back the figure's hood.

A long, beautiful ponytail tumbled out in a braided rope of deep crimson, and their auntie Ruby shook her bangs from her lovely face.

"Auntie Ruby!" both children exclaimed at the same time.

Ruby's eyes flew open as she was set upon by Blake's children. She smiled her usual wise smile as she fell to a knee and accepted them completely into her embrace. "Oh good! For a second there I thought I'd gone to the wrong house!"

"I can't believe you made it here!" exclaimed Dawn as she held onto her elusive aunt like she might disappear the second she let go. Bandaged hands ran themselves up and down the two children's backs in soft circles. Dusk had always thought of his auntie Ruby as a second mother, especially in how warm their greetings were whenever she decided to appear.

"We missed you, auntie Ruby," chuckled Dusk, nuzzling his face deeper into her robes. She smelled like roses caught in a mountain breeze and he could never grow tired of her scent.

He felt her fingers run themselves through his golden curls as Ruby planted a loving kiss in the middle of his shock of hair, turning to Dawn to do the same before parting and beaming at them both. "I missed you two kittens, too…"

Then, like one door closing with another opening, Dusk saw Ruby's smile fade as her silver eyes rolled up past them. They identified Blake standing with her arms across her chest, her expression grim as her golden eyes rose to meet Ruby's. An understanding came between the two Huntresses, between teammate and leader, and Ruby's piercing silver eyes flicked back down to the two kids in her arms. Her smile returned long enough to dash the small shadows of concern marring the children's faces. "... But if you don't mind, there's something I need to talk to your mother about." Her eyes traveled back up to her team standing in the doorway to Blake's home. "Something we all need to talk to her about."

Dawn and Dusk were silent as they watched their auntie Ruby rise to her full, elegant height and strode past them. Her every motion made it seem as though she didn't even move her legs to walk. Like it was so mundane an action to perform, she barely needed to make the mental or physical effort ordinary people did whenever _they_ walked. Like a ghostly gust of air that gives you the shivers just to think about, much less experience with your own five senses.

Blake still didn't look at Ruby, keeping her uncomfortable gaze fixed away. Dusk could feel Ruby's eyes fixed on his mother as though he were the one being examined and a shiver and down his spine for the second time that morning.

When the silence became too much, Blake whipped around to Ruby and blurted out, "Ruby, I'm sorry, I-"

A bandaged hand fell upon her shoulder and Blake fell silent instantly. Ruby watched her with the most genuine concern she'd ever seen in her whole life. No pity. No anger. No annoyance. None of these emotions were even remotely apparent as Ruby rubbed her shoulder softly and asked, "Blake, how are you doing?"

The tense atmosphere melted almost instantaneously. Dusk could see his mother's shoulders relax under the soft ministration of auntie Ruby's bandaged hand. A gentle chuckle escaped Blake's throat as she placed her hand atop Ruby's and looked to her leader with a tired, knowing smile. "I could be better."

Ruby chuckled as well, and brought her teammate in for a warm and welcoming hug. Dusk felt Dawn's hand squeeze his and he turned to see his sister smiling with relief. It was contagious, and Dusk felt his own worry escape him as well as he watched his mother and his surrogate aunt embrace for the first time in what almost half a year.

The two parted and Blake wiped away latent tears from her eyes with a small, sad chuckle. "It's good to see you again, Ruby."

Ruby threw her hands to her hips. "Yeah, I really need to come here more often. There's free food and great kids every time I come. Real five-star establishment you're running here."

"Says the 'fearless leader' who's, like, constantly off the grid for months at a time," quipped Yang from the doorway.

"Hey," Ruby whirled around and pointed at her sister. "It's a job. I'm busy."

"You refuse pay most of the time, you _boob_ ," said Weiss, walking forward and softly smacking Ruby's forehead with the back of her hand with her last word. "With _that_ much time on your hands, you should be able to come here at least half as much as I usually do. Not when we're all here together literally because someone _died_."

That last word returned the weight of seriousness to the atmosphere and everyone's smile dimmed just a little. Out of the corner of his eye, Dusk saw his auntie Yang's expression contort with anger so brief he wondered if he'd seen it at all. It was confirmed when he noticed her rub her cybernetic arm in a telling tick.

Weiss noticed the change of atmosphere, scoffed, and threw her arms into the air. "What? _Someone_ needed to say it! That _is_ why we're all here, is it not?"

Ruby chuckled awkwardly, rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. "Well yeah, Weiss, but geez, do you need to be so blunt? Dawn and Dusk are here…"

"What _about_ them? They're old enough to understand what's going on, right, Blake? You said Sun explained it to them," replied Weiss.

Blake stepped forward then, stopping between her team and her kids. "He did. But…" She glanced behind her to her two children, a regretful sadness in her eye as she did. "... I'd rather… keep this just between us."

"Mama-" both Dawn and Dusk began, but were cut off. Blake fell to a knee before them, placed her hands on their shoulders, and gave them both a pleading look neither could ignore.

"Please, sweeties… I know you both are worried about me and I love you both _so much_ for that," Blake kissed both her children long and hard to emphasize her point, "But mommy really needs to talk with her team just by herself this time."

"Does this have to do with mister Adam?" asked Dawn in a small, worried voice.

"Yes it does, baby," answered Blake, stroking her daughter's cheek lovingly.

"Are you… going somewhere with them?" asked Dusk in an equally small and worried voice.

Blake chuckled, caressing her son's chin in a way she hoped would lessen his concern. "No, baby, we're just going to be talking here in the dining room or outside. Mommy's not going anywhere right now."

" _Right now…_ " muttered Yang under her breath. Dusk heard it and he thought Dawn did as well, but neither made note of it. Weiss drove a sharp elbow into her blonde teammate's side. Yang gave a grunt of pain and a glare, but made no further comment.

Dusk pressed his hands to his chest, his innocent face scrunching up in concern. "Mama…"

Blake halted her son with another kiss on his forehead before holding both her children close against her chest. After she felt them both calm in her arms, she lowered her head between them.

"And hey," whispered Blake into their ears, "Didn't you both promise your father you'd do anything I asked?" When she pulled away, she saw both her children nod their heads. She beamed, caressed their chins once, then stood to step out of their way as they went on sullenly up the stairs.

"I love you," Blake called out to them.

"Love you too, mama," murmured both kids as they went up to their rooms. Dusk stole a final glance at his mother before ascending and saw her blow a sad kiss to him.

When she heard the doors to her kids' rooms softly shut, Blake turned back towards her team. All their eyes fell from the stairs to her.

Ruby and Weiss seemed to eye her with an air of pity, though Yang's lips were flat and bemused, her brows knitted crossly.

Blake dipped her gaze from them, and after a fleeting moment of silence nodded her head towards the backdoor.

"C'mon," said Blake in barely a whisper. "Let's talk outside."

xXx

"What're they saying now?" asked Dawn, pressing herself against Dusk as he pressed both a human and a cat ear against his bedroom window. Dusk whipped around and waved his hand to get Dawn away from him, but tried to return to the glass pane as fast as he could.

Outside, he could see his mother's arms wrapped rigidly across her chest. Yang did the opposite, her shoulders heaving while she yelled at Blake across from her.

"I'm sorry, did I miss the part where he stabbed you in the fucking stomach?! Is _that_ enough reason to let that son of a bitch die alone and in an unmarked grave?! Oh! What about the part when _he cut off my fucking arm when I was trying to protect you?!_ " yelled Yang.

"Watch your mouth and keep it down, Yang! We aren't alone out here, my children are still in that house!" Blake yelled back.

"They can hear me? _Great!_ How about I let them hear me remind you that if his blade had been just a little to the side-" Yang took a breath as she jabbed a robotic finger up towards Dusk's window, her face red with fury when Dusk looked close, " _-_ those two beautiful… beautiful children _would have never even been fucking born!"_

Dusk flinched from the pure fury of Yang's enraged bellow. He'd heard his father say it, but hearing it come from Yang was what made him truly terrified of the horrible truth. He could hear the tears in his aunt's screams and that made it so much worse to listen to.

"Auntie Yang…" murmured Dawn beside him. Glancing to his side, Dusk saw his big sister's gaze dipped down ruefully as she likely was experiencing the same sadness as he.

Dusk turned back to the window and wasn't ready for what happened next.

" _Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!_ "

It was his mother. Only a few seconds ago she'd been seething with latent anger, but listening to Yang forced Blake to snap unlike Dusk had ever seen her before. A lump bulged in his throat as his mother marched towards Yang, her face curled into a fury that scared Dusk as much as it seemed to intimidate Yang.

"You think I don't already know that, Yang?! You think I don't think about that night each and every single day of my life?! That I don't wake up from a nightmare- _screaming because I know that madman could have robbed me of my own goddamn children?!_ " screamed Blake into Yang's face. Her golden eyes burned with rage as she got into her teammate's face, her lips curled into a snarl as she continued to bellow out her tangent. " _You_ don't need to remind me, _Yang Xiao Long!_ My _husband_ already did when he told that to them yesterday! Can you _imagine_ that, Yang?! Can you imagine listening to the father of your children explain to your kids how someone almost prevented them from being _born?!_ _Well?! Can you?!_ "

" _No! I wouldn't fucking know about that!_ " Yang screamed back into Blake's face. A flash of movement caused Blake to jump back in reflex and Dusk even feared that Yang was going to strike his mother. However, his aunt had only raised her cybernetic arm, flexing it and holding it out for Blake to see.

Dawn gasped beside him. The material of the arm pulsed with a heat like the sun was contained within the chassis. Lines of yellow-gold power expanding and contracting the pattern of dragon scales across the body with the raw power contained beneath.

Dusk swallowed nervously. He'd seen her angry before, but this was a rage his mother had only told stories of. A rage she tapped into in the heat of a mission or a skirmish… not during an argument between teammates…

"I also wouldn't know about _you_ ever explaining to them why it is that their auntie Yang has this mechanical fucking arm! Well, Blake?! Can you explain _that_ -" Yang growled and thrust her robotic arm down in an arc, dismissing the raging energy bulging through the machinery with a rush of power, "- to those kids?"

Blake flinched from Yang's accusation as she continued glaring at her. "I did explain it to them…" she muttered.

Yang laughed cruelly and shook her flesh-and-blood finger with a chastising wag. "Nuh-uh. This week doesn't count. Did you explain it to them before this week?"

Blake winced.

"Well? Did you?"

Dawn and Dusk were both speechless as they waited for their mother to answer her teammate's question. Both were met with only silence each passing second, their hearts sinking lower with each methodical tick of the bedside clock.

Finally, Blake did something. She turned her gaze down and away from Yang, her expression scarred with defeat. "No…"

"I'm sorry, what was that? Speak up, I don't think we could hear you, Blake," said Yang, placing her hand to her ear mockingly. Blake, however, only rolled her eyes back to Yang and didn't humor the voluptuous pugilist with anything but a contemptuous glare to let her know she was right. Yang took no pleasure in her victory, and there was no smugness as she nodded her head and crossed her arms across her ample chest. "That's right. Nothing. You _never_ explained to them what happened. You pretended like he didn't exist. I'll bet you didn't even explain to those kids how you got your scar before this week either, did you?"

"Stop it, Yang…" Dusk barely heard his mother's whisper, but knew what it was she'd said. Her arms were folded across her chest rigidly, like she was grabbing them in pain, when she turned her eyes up to Yang in a silent plea. "You're right, Yang. That _is_ my fault. You deserved better than that and I didn't tell them until too late. I should have told them about him sooner…"

The fight drained from Yang's posture as she watched her teammate falter. Silence overcame the team as they stood out in the backyard. Then Yang placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Blake, I don't want to sound cruel. I don't want to make you feel bad like this, it kills me as much as it does you to say these things. But it doesn't change the fact that what that monster did is irredeemable. Not just because of you and me but because of how far back he's set back the entire Faunus race from being seen as true equals."

"Yang, you don't understand what he was to me. What he was before he became the way he was," rebuked Blake weakly.

"No, Blake, you're right. I didn't. And neither does the rest of the world and the vast majority of the people whose lives he's ruined by proxy," Yang shot back.

"You won't change my mind-"

"Oh no, I imagine I won't," interrupted Yang, holding her hands in the air. She let them drop and walked closer to Blake, forcing Dusk to press himself close to the window in order to hear what she was saying. "But _you_ were the one who called me here because you wanted us to talk with you about it. Well here I am, Blake. I'm telling you what I think about it. And even if he was your step-brother and he saved you from the outside world and raised you and all that good stuff, it doesn't change _my mind_ that he doesn't deserve your condolences because of what he did to you. Not to me-" Yang jabbed her finger at Blake. "- _To you._ "

Blake stared at Yang in silence for a few moments. Then she dipped her head, chuckled sadly to herself, and glanced back up to Yang with a sad smile on her lips. She shook her head. "But I still have to."

Silence. Another breeze blew through the backyard and Yang stepped back, holding her hands up in a shrug. "Then I've got no reason to be here. I'm leaving."

"Yang, now just wait a minute," spoke Weiss as she began to walk towards Yang to stop her.

Yang whipped around and laughed merrily back at them, stopping to respond to her teammate. "No, Weiss. You heard the woman, she's gonna do what she's gonna do. And I can't stop her any more than you can. But Blake, I want to let you know you don't _owe him a goddamn thing anymore_ , alright? He is a relic of the world the women standing around you helped to bury. The world left him behind as soon as we saved it from The Cataclysm. His sins are _his own_ to face, _not_ yours to mourn."

Again, silence. Dusk waited for his mother to say something in response to that. To say something to stop his wonderful auntie Yang from leaving with such a bad fight hanging between them. But still he watched Blake stand there in the January snow, arms clenched tight as she was unable to do anything but listen to the truth Yang spoke.

"He isn't worth your time to grieve over, Blake. He was everything that was wrong with the old world. Those kids up there? In that house behind me, probably listening to what we're saying right now? _Your_ kids, Blake?" said Yang, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder, strangely enough, directly up where Dusk's window was, " _They_ are the bright, new future we fought for. _They_ are what people like Adam told us we couldn't achieve. Spend your time with _them,_ Blake. For the love of God, spend your time with your kids instead."

Still, Blake shook her head and laughed her helpless laugh that sent a shiver down Dusk's spine to listen to.

Then, he heard his mother say something that made his heart drop like a lead brick.

"Yang," said Blake, turning her head up to smile helplessly at Yang, "You and I both know I'm still just as much a relic of that old world as he was because of the things I used to do."

Dusk felt his blood grow cold as the frigid winter wind blowing outside.

The corners of Yang's lips curled into furious snarls. "Blake, don't you _dare_ compare yourself to that _freak_ -"

"I am! I don't like it, same as you. But no matter what you say, it doesn't change the fact that there was once a time when I was right there alongside him, making the same mistakes because I, like him, thought what we were doing was the right thing." Blake shook her head as she admitted her guilt to everyone listening, tears flowing down her cheeks in steady streams. "I was just as guilty as he was, once upon a time…"

Yang shook her head and stepped forward in a rage. "Blake, you were a _different person_ back then and you _know it!_ "

" _And_ _ **he**_ _was a different person back then and_ _ **I**_ _know it!_ " screamed Blake in reply, her entire body shaking as the cry escaped her. Dawn and Dusk reeled from the horrible sound, and Dusk felt his own eyes grow foggy with tears as his mother unraveled beyond the glass pane. "How can you say that was true about me, and still insist _over and over again_ that it wasn't the same for him?! How _dare you!_ Do you think I'm _making this up?_ That I'm fabricating all this up for someone who almost stole away my future _children?!"_

Silence again fell upon the area. All of team RWBY were staring at Blake with shock, but Yang was now the one grimacing from the truth being thrown back into her face. Dusk didn't know who was supposed to be the one he should have been siding with just out of how horrible this whole situation was to grasp.

"Yang," said Blake after taking a moment to catch her breath, "Do you trust me?"

"Blake-"

"Yang Xiao Long," repeated Blake, a plea more than an assertion, "Do you or do you not trust me as your friend, as your teammate, and as your sister? As the same woman who was struck by the same blade by the same man on the same night?"

Yang stood tenser than Dusk had ever seen her before. It was obvious how uncomfortable she was as Blake listed exactly how much she really meant to the Faunus woman across from her. Then, she gave a shuttering sigh and nodded. "Yes, Blake Belladonna. I do trust you."

Blake, too, gave a relieved sigh, then straightened herself and wiped the tears to keep them from drying in the cold outdoor air. "Then do you trust me when I say… that there _was_ a time when that man was a boy, and that that boy took me in when I was alone, scared, and helpless, and raised me with all the love he would give to his own flesh and blood? Do you still trust me when I say that, Yang?"

"Blake, it's not a matter of trust," said Yang.

"Do you or do you not-"

"No, Blake, don't interrupt me this time, alright? Yes, I do believe you. I've always believed you when you said he was a different person, I've never once doubted you. Not once since the day you asked me to look you in the eye and tell you I didn't mean to hit Mercury in the Vytal Tournament." Yang paused and held her hands out to Blake, now. "But Blake, he was not the boy you once knew. A wolf pup still grows up being a wolf, and that boy turned into something horrible no matter what you may know about him that I don't. Those kids up there in your house, those kids you carried to full term and delivered into this world, _they_ would not be here if we did not stop him. You and I both know he would have stopped at nothing to get to those kids and do god-knows-what to them, and we have no reason to believe he still didn't think that all the way up 'till the day he died."

Silence again. To Dusk's terror, he could see his mother nodding in solemn agreement with what Yang was saying.

"Someone like that, some _thing_ like that," said Yang, throwing her hands up in a helpless shrug, "The world is better off when it's dead, buried, and in all honesty, forgotten."

"But. I. Still. Can't. Yang." growled Blake. "You can't expect me to forget the boy I once knew as my brother any more than I can expect… Weiss to forget the man she knows as her father."

Yang dipped and shook her head.

"You think I'm mourning the monster he died as, Yang. And you're wrong," said Blake, a renewed conviction allowing her to stand tall and hold her head high while she spoke, "I'm burying the boy I once knew, and the girl he raised with him."

Yang was silent for a few seconds, then she shook her head, disappointed. "I wish you'd see it like I do, Blake. But if you want to go and do this, then I'm not gonna have any part in it. Good luck."

Without further comment, Yang turned on her heel and walked back into the house. Dawn and Dusk dashed from his room and barreled down the stairs, intercepting their fast-pacing aunt before she could exit the front door. She whipped around in surprise from the sudden tackle of the two kids on her legs. "Dawn! Dusk! What're you two doing?"

"I'm sorry…! I'm so sorry about what happened to you, auntie Yang! I didn't… I didn't know…" sobbed Dusk, burying his face against Yang's thigh.

"We didn't know why your arm… I'm so sorry, auntie…" whispered Dawn, wrapping her arms tight around Yang's waist.

Yang was stunned for a few seconds, but then huffed a sad breath as she caressed the heads of her niece and nephew in her battle-scarred hands. "Oh, you kids…" she said with a sigh, taking a knee as she accepted the two kids into her arms. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for. Nothing. You couldn't help what's happened. What's done is done."

"Are you still angry at mama…?" mumbled Dusk, sniffing his running nose as he looked at his aunt pleadingly.

Yang felt her heart swell with affection at the sight of the little Faunus boy's earnest question and chuckled sweetly as she wiped the tears falling from his lovely golden eyes. "I'm not angry at your mama, Dusk. We just… have some disagreements, is all."

"But you were both yelling…" whispered Dawn, her voice hoarse as she hiccupped small sobs in her aunt's arms. "And… the th-things y-you were… s-saying…"

Yang held Dawn close against her, a harsh breath escaping her as she grimaced from seeing the worry she'd brought about from what she'd said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you both like that…"

Dawn and Dusk's sobbing fits gradually died down and Yang parted from them both, looking them in their eyes with a complete seriousness that reminded them of their father when he'd spoken to them. "... But that doesn't change how I feel, sweetie. That man did bad by your mother and countless other people, including me."

"I'm sorry mama didn't tell us earlier about how you lost your arm…" murmured Dawn.

"No, I was wrong to say that. _I_ should have told you earlier, not your mother," said Yang, dipping her eyes to her prosthetic as she flexed her fingers open and closed. "Maybe there's some part of _myself_ I've also been a little afraid of unearthing again."

Silence overcame the three, then. Dawn and Dusk calmed themselves from their tears while their aunt stroked their backs so gently in small, soft circles.

Then, Dusk lifted his head and nervously asked, "Did mama… really do bad things with mister Adam?"

Yang winced at the question. It was asked barely above a whisper, but in the boy's voice, it was like a cold winter gale passed through the room. He didn't even look at her when he asked, instead was staring off over Yang's shoulder at nothing. Like he didn't want to meet her gaze when she answered.

Still stunned from her nephew's question, Yang shook her head, stammering to try and think up a way to answer. "Dusk, baby… that's _not_ something for me to say. Especially if it's about your mama."

"Then, what did she mean when she said she was just as bad as mister Adam? Why would mama say something like that?"

"Dusk, that is something you need to talk with your mother about, not me. That _is not_ my place to answer a question like that."

Dusk dipped his head. "So mama _did_ do bad things before…"

"Dusk, _listen._ "

Suddenly, Yang's prosthetic hand yanked Dusk's chin up and he found himself staring at his auntie Yang's brilliant lavender eyes steeled with seriousness. "Your mother was a person who made mistakes, do you understand me? That's all. End of story. I know that woman, and she loves you and your big sister more than the sun and the moon put together with all the stars in the sky _times three_. You want to hear me tell you something I _can_ tell you? No matter what you heard from me or any of your other aunts, even what you heard your mother say outside today… None of that will change the fact that your mother would and could tear this world to pieces if it could show you that she is NOT the woman she was when she was with that man."

Dusk and Dawn were silent as Yang placed her hands firmly on their shoulders. "No matter what happens, your mother will not stop loving you the way she has since the day she first learned she was going to be a mama, and that's the honest truth. She isn't a criminal, she isn't a terrorist, and you both can put that out of your heads right this very instant or I'm gonna bash it out the hard way. No mercy." To emphasize her point, Yang pumped her synthetic arm and slapped the bicep heartily, a hard grin slicing across her lips. "You two sprouts got that?"

Dawn and Dusk nodded their heads adamantly. Seeing this, Yang let out a long and relieved sigh. "Good."

"Are you gonna leave now?" asked Dawn.

Yang rubbed her neck and glanced over at the clock in the living room. She gave a weary, tired sigh. "Yeah, probably. I don't have anything else to say, so I'm probably gonna split."

Again, Dawn and Dusk flew forward to wrap their arms around their buxom aunt, holding her even tighter as they felt her powerful arms coil around them. Yang stood with their bottoms cradled securely in her arms and breathed with an amused huff. "Well? Aren't you gonna say goodbye to your kickass aunt?"

Dawn kissed Yang on her cheek with a bright smile. "Love you, kickass aunt."

Dusk did the same, giving a small peck on her cheek with a bright blush blooming on his small face. "Love you, auntie Yang."

Yang pressed them tight against her one final time, pecked them both once on the cheek. Then, she dropped them from her arms as, with a ruffle of their hair, she turned on her heel and out the door. Bumblebee growled to life, and Dawn and Dusk waved their auntie Yang goodbye as she zoomed down the street and rounded the corner with a roar of the engine.

After closing and locking the front door, Dawn and Dusk immediately dashed to the backdoor. Dusk pressed two eager ears against the surface, listening closely for whatever conversation was about to go on outside.

Instead, he heard three pairs of boots thumping loudly across the back porch towards the door he was leaning against.

"Crap! Dawn! Stairs!" hissed Dusk over his shoulder. Dawn obeyed without a second thought, flying up the stairs with Dusk close behind. Both just barely made it to the top as the bottom door opened. The kids instantly stopped running and fell quietly prone. They inched to the edge of the stairs to try and listen to the conversation still going on between their mother and her teammates.

"She _was_ right though," said the refined voice of auntie Weiss as she was the first one to enter the house. "What she said about… you know."

Dusk heard his mother sigh. "I know, Weiss. I told her and I'll tell you that you really _don't_ need you to remind me about that." Dusk imagined her rubbing the bridge of her nose exhaustedly, giving a tired huff before continuing. "I'm so sick of everyone telling me what I already know…"

"Really? Then why'd you invite us? So you could subject yourself to more of us telling you how much we _don't_ think you should mourn this man?" As Dusk and Dawn crawled towards the mezzanine of the stairs, they heard Weiss give a sarcastic scoff. "You strike me as many things, Blake, but a masochist isn't one."

"No, what I _wanted_ was…" Blake trailed off. Peeking slightly above the ground, Dusk could see his mother's cat ears twitching towards the upper floor where he and his sister laid. He dipped against the ground as fast as he could. Dawn stared at him, eyes wide with fear that their mother had caught them.

"Did she hear us?" murmured Dawn, speaking so low she practically mouthed the words to Dusk.

Dusk opened his mouth to reply, but his mother's footsteps were already thumping up the stairs. He only grimaced, then turned slowly up to see his mother standing above her two children with her arms crossed on her chest.

"Didn't I tell you two to stay in your rooms?" asked Blake without menace or anger.

Dawn and Dusk slowly rose to their feet, avoiding their mother's piercing gaze and keeping their eyes trained shamefully on the ground. "Sorry, mama…"

Blake pointed down the hallway gently. "Go on. You know what I told you two. I expect you to listen when I ask you to do something," muttered Blake as she herded her two children to their respective rooms. Dawn, of course, was nudged into her room first.

"Mama…" Dawn slid her small hand between the door's opening before her mother could shut it and looked up at her pleadingly.

"It's alright, baby. I won't be long, now. I promise." Blake knelt and pressed her daughter's little hand up against her lips before shutting the door. She then turned around and nudged Dusk to his room across from hers. Once inside, she began to shut the door when-

"You know Dawn and I love you, right mama?" whispered Dusk before his mother left.

"Of course I do, kitten. You never need to ask me that, alright?" With that, Blake shut the door. Her grip lingered on the handle the way his words lingered in her mind, playing his somber tones over and over again. It took a surge of willpower to tear herself from her desire to go back into his room and hold Dusk in her arms, but Blake managed to walk back down the stairs without succumbing to any reason to go back. The kids stayed in their rooms as she went back down to her two remaining teammates waiting in her home's foyer.

Weiss lifted a slim, unamused eyebrow when her Faunus teammate returned. "Is there something you don't want them to hear? I mean, apart from what's already been said, obviously."

Blake shot a glare at Weiss, something that always reminded Weiss of a grumpy cat whenever it appeared. She had to stifle her snort when she saw it. "Yes, Weiss. Believe it or not, there are _some_ things I don't want my kids telling Sun when he comes back from work later."

"Like?"

"Like the reason why I asked you all to come here."

Weiss sighed and shook her head slowly. Ruby only glowered, her lips a flat, grim line like she knew what Blake was about to say and she already didn't like it.

"No," said Weiss.

"What do you mean, 'no?'" said Blake, her tone low.

"You know exactly what I mean. I'm wouldn't help you go to wherever the White Fang are even if I knew where they are, which I don't." Weiss's ice-blue eyes remained fixed on Blake as she spoke. "What? Did you think I was just going to snap my fingers and I'd have a luxury Bullhead with a round-trip flight to Adam's funeral? Surely even _you_ know my family's wealth can only take me so far, especially in matters of the White Fang. I'm not gonna have any part in that."

Blake ran a hand through her bangs, breathing sharply through her nostrils. "I wasn't asking for anything excessive, just something to help me get where I need to go."

"And where is that, Blake? Huh? Have you even thought out what it is you're going to do? How you're going to get there? What they're going to do _if_ you make it there? Because I've gotta tell you, Blake, I can imagine they won't take too kindly to deserters."

"I know someone who can decipher their newer codes to let me know the coordinates," rebuked Blake, "After that, all I need to do is…"

"I've got to agree with Weiss this time, Blake," interjected Ruby, seemingly for the first time since her arrival. "It's too dangerous. You don't know what they'll be like once you get there. I can't have you going into the dark like that all alone, not when they're wounded and unpredictable with whatever they might do next."

"Well…" began Blake, but stopped when the soundness of her leader's advice sunk in. It really irked her sometimes when her teammates were right. "Then… how about you come with me, then?"

Ruby shook her head immediately. "If they're gonna have a hard time allowing a defector like you into their midst, they're gonna have a full-on skirmish the second they see a human walking alongside you. No way I'm going with you."

"But, Ruby…!" Blake felt all her arguments slip out from under her with one simple response. "That's… That's not fair! How am I going to…?"

In spite of the desperate pleading of her eyes, Blake felt her heart sink when Ruby once again shook her head in silent rejection. Her breathing became quietly more labored as she grit her teeth in silent anger.

Weiss reacted on reflex, walking towards Blake with open arms. "Blake, come here…"

As Weiss's arms fell around her, Blake shivered violently away. "Don't."

" _Blake Belladonna_ , don't you _dare_ push me away in that manner," said Weiss in a regal growl that sent a shiver down Blake's spine. "We've known each other for far too long and have been through too much together for you to treat me that way. We all know how you used to push us away when you were upset but we are both too old to be throwing tantrums, so I suggest you get over yourself right this second or I'm turning and leaving."

Blake's resolve shivered. Her posture trembled as she lifted her eyes from the shadow of her bangs, her enraged breathing quivering as she watched Weiss open her arms once more with a kind smile.

"So," said Weiss with a gentle sigh, "How about we try this again?"

Blake's lower lip trembled as she allowed herself to fall into Weiss's arms. Her arms slipped up and around the heiress's back while she allowed her frustrations to melt out with the tears she shed. "It's not fair…" she wept, "It's so unfair…"

"I know. I know it is," murmured Weiss, holding her friend tight against her to make sure she felt secure enough to release the last of her sorrows her and now. "But we're here for you, Blake. We're always gonna be here, no matter what."

Over Blake's shoulder, Weiss watched Ruby place her bandaged hand solemnly on her Faunus teammate's trembling back. Nothing was said for a little while as Blake's sorrows gently dissipated into small, tired breaths.

"I'm sorry," mumbled Blake.

"No." Weiss pulled from her embrace and smiled sadly. " _I'm_ sorry that I can't help you any more than this. If there's anything else at all, Blake, _anything else_ ," Weiss cupped Blake's face in her graceful hands. "You just let me know. Alright? I'll be sure to take care of it."

Blake giggled and placed a hand atop Weiss's. "Money can't buy me happiness, you know."

"But you can be damn sure I'll put that to the test," retorted Weiss with a smirk. Both women returned for another embrace. Weiss eyed Blake from the corner of her vision and smiled contentedly. "You'll be alright, Blake Belladonna. You'll survive this, just like you always have."

"Thanks, Weiss," said Blake, parting from the embrace with a feeble wink and a tiny smirk. Weiss returned the wink with her own, then turned to exit the house. Ruby and Blake both followed, Blake making sure to shut the door behind her so as to not let the cold January air in.

"Tell Dawn and Dusk their auntie Weiss said bye and that she loves them!" called Weiss out the window of her sleek Schnee Co. car as she drove down the street.

"Will do!" Blake yelled back, waving her teammate goodbye as the same farewell was extended and reciprocated by Ruby beside her. The car turned the corner, and silence overcame the front yard as the two remaining Huntresses stood in its enveloping midst.

Ruby glanced to her side and saw Blake glowering at the snow by her feet. When Blake turned back up to face Ruby, she was looking off into the distance. Blake saw this and smirked with a mirthful chuckle. "So I take it you're vanishing without a trace again?"

Ruby said nothing, only reaching into one of her pockets as she withdrew a small folded paper which she handed to Blake. Blake hesitated, her eyes flicking suspiciously from the paper to Ruby, before she took it for herself.

She unfolded it and couldn't believe what was written inside.

"I don't think you should go," muttered Ruby suddenly, her uncharacteristically low tone causing Blake to jump when she heard it. It took a few seconds for her to register what Ruby said, and she swallowed her dry throat before speaking.

"Wh… Why do you think so?" asked Blake, her voice sounding smaller than she had intended.

"Because if you go, then I was wrong about you." Ruby glanced at Blake from the corner of her eye, her silver iris flashing like a blade in the sunlight. "Wrong in how I thought you'd left that part of yourself behind a long time ago."

Blake felt colder all of a sudden and it wasn't because of the snow. She wrapped her arms around herself tighter, shivered. It didn't warm her. "He was my big brother, Ruby."

"And Yang is my big sister." replied Ruby without hesitation. "By all rights, I shouldn't even have given you that paper. Then, he would have been buried without anyone there who truly loved him." Again, Ruby's silver eye rolled callously to fall upon Blake with its steel-cold stare. " _That_ would be justice, Blake. For my sister, and all the others whose lives he's ruined. The only end he could ever possibly deserve."

A cold gale blustered through the yard. Blake wrapped her arms tight around herself, but Ruby lifted her chin and rolled her eyes shut. The wind passed, and a warm smile slid lazily across Ruby's lips with her exhale. Blake's inexplicable chill suddenly vanished at the sight, and all at once her shivering and rubbing her arms finally produced the heat she desired.

"But… You're right, Blake." Ruby turned her head and grinned goofily at her teammate. "That wouldn't be fair." She turned and stared off into the distance with a dreamy smile and a huff. "That wouldn't be fair to you at all..."

"Ruby…" Blake shook her head, still not quite believing what was happening even as she read and reread the note given to her. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"Is that decoder of yours reliable?" asked Ruby.

Blake nodded. "Y-Yes, she is."

Ruby lifted a brow upon hearing Blake say "she," though let it slide without further input. "When is the funeral? Or is that to be deciphered with the coordinates?"

"It's two Tuesdays from now," answered Blake. "About two weeks."

"Hmm." Ruby nodded her head imperceptibly. With a ghostly whoosh of her crimson cloak, Ruby swiveled around and tapped a bandaged index on the note Blake held. "He'll be available for two weeks as well, leaving that Sunday. After that, he's gone. For good."

Blake nodded in understanding, swallowed loudly. "Got it. But how did you manage to find someone like…?"

A pirate smile grew across Ruby's face like a child proudly hiding a secret. "I've been to every corner of Remnant, Blake. His aren't the strangest shoulders I've rubbed with, believe you me. He owes me more than a couple of favors, anyways. He'll get you wherever you need to go."

Blake pocketed the note and turned up to face her. "Ruby… Thank you."

Ruby took a few steps back and smiled. "You're gonna leave it behind this time, right?"

"What?" asked Blake.

But she blinked, and Ruby was nowhere to be found. Her mouth was open, her next question ready to be asked by reflex: "Wait, Ruby!"

Fighting reflex, Blake clasped her mouth shut. She grinned softly to herself, then walked back into the house. She toyed with the paper note in her pocket the entire time.

Her children bounded up to her as soon as she shut the door behind her, and she accepted them into her arms immediately.

Blake spent the rest of the day with her kids, beaming and laughing and playing with them to make up for everything she'd done to worry them. It was as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders and for the first time in weeks she felt determination surge through her again. Her husband returned later that evening and was surprised by her robust greeting.

"Is everything alright, babe?" asked Sun, keeping his eyes on his wife as though he couldn't quite trust her sudden demeanor shift at face-value.

"Ruby, Weiss, and Yang stopped by to check up on how I was doing with… you know…" said Blake with an innocent shrug. "I talked with them about what I should do next."

Suddenly, Sun felt his apprehension pay off. "And…?"

Blake sighed long and somber as she shook her head. "I have to stay. There's no way I can get to the destination even if I decoded it. None of them wanted to get involved."

"Because they're humans, right?" asked Sun. Blake nodded and he snorted softly. "I had a feeling that might happen."

"Yep. So," Blake shrugged and breathed a faux defeated sigh, "I guess I'm staying."

Sun smirked, but only barely. Blake could tell he wasn't entirely convinced. He stepped in close to her and held her hands in his as he nuzzled his cheek along hers. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

Again, Blake sighed. She leaned into his caress with a gentle, subdued nudge. "As well as I can be."

"Not bitter or mad?"

Blake shook her head. "Wouldn't help any if I did."

Sun kissed his wife lovingly on her cheek. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Belle."

Blake giggled and tucked her chin into the corner of his shoulder. He only called her Belle on rare occasions when his affections for her were truly overwhelming him. Her heart beat in tune with his and she was glad once again that she had married such a caring and considerate slob of a gentleman. "I'm glad too, Sun," she whispered into his neck as she kissed it.

From the living room, her two children peered over the couch like meerkats scouting the area for any dangerous activity. She met their intent gazes and winked over her husband's shoulder, smiling as they did.

"I'm glad, too."

xXx

Dusk woke from his dream panting and drenched in a cold sweat. The dream had been so vivid, so clear in his mind's eye he had to throw the covers off himself and walk on his own two feet to remind himself of his reality.

 _(She packs her bags when no one is looking.)_

Once firmly rooted in the present, Dusk fell backwards onto his bed and tried to catch his breath. As his chest heaved up and down, he wiped his forehead of sweat and tried to discern the images-

 _(She has already packed her bags, even when people are looking.)_

-playing like a film missing images from the whole ream. He couldn't remember ever having a dream like this before. A dream when-

 _(She already made her decision, though she will not tell anyone when she goes.)_

-he was not in his own mind and body, but… floating behind the eyes of someone else.

Behind the eyes of someone he loves.

 _(She will not kiss you goodnight when she leaves.)_

Behind the eyes of someone he thought he knew but now, because of how she felt and thought when no one was looking, wasn't too sure.

 _(She will not kiss you goodnight when she leaves.)_

Downstairs, he heard the backdoor open and shut. Someone just walked out into the backyard and Dusk knew it was his mother before he even reached the window to see for himself.

She was outside wearing one of her combat training outfits while she swung Gambol Shroud at invisible enemies all around her. The way she moved and practiced each night told him how much of her old fighting abilities she'd reclaimed.

Tonight, her strikes and footwork were more fluid than they had been on any previous night.

 _(She will not kiss you goodbye when she leaves.)_

xXx

"I assume we aren't doing this because you want to talk about how Dawn and Dusk were doing in school, right?" asked Theodora Stella as she returned to the living room with two A.M.F.'s held in either hand. One she placed on the coffee table in front of Blake. The other she carried with her as she fell into her couch with a creak of the springs, humming an easy laugh as she took a long swig of the cool blue concoction. Blake chuckled at the sight of her kids' elementary teacher acting so blasé about her consumption of alcohol, then picked up her glass to take a modest sip. Her face instantly puckered, the heavy liquor and dash of lemon assaulting her senses on just the first taste.

"Nope, this is way too strong for me to be talking about the kids right now," gasped Blake, coughing and laughing with her fellow Faunus beside her. She missed doing this with Theodora. The hearty sound of her friend's laugh was liberating to listen to and contagious to anyone who had the good fortune of having a drink with her.

"See, now _that_ is what I like to hear from you, Missus Wukong. Take a break, kick back, and relax a bit from everything. Just leave it all for a few minutes and let the nice liquor carry it away in its nice blue waters." Theodora giggled as she swirled her drink in her cup. She held it up and shook it before Blake. "What do you think? It's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's really good. Kinda citrusy, but it feels good as it goes down," chuckled Blake.

"Yep, wouldn't be able to enjoy one of these during a school weekend. Gotta enjoy it now while I'm still on break."

"Yeah…"

Silence overcame the two women, both taking a drink and sighing out their troubles as the liquid traveled down their throats. It warmed Blake as it reached her stomach and panned out through her bloodstream to the rest of her body. A sweet fuzzy tingling that made her skin feel like a snuggie and her cheeks warm like a gentle heating lamp.

Theodora chuckled to herself, then placed her cup on the coffee table. She turned to Blake. "So how are things on your end of the spectrum?"

Blake shrugged. "Not bad, really. Took the break off to spend time with the kids more. Sun's still-"

"I mean with Adam," interjected Theodora.

Blake's heart beat a cold shiver through the pleasant warmth settling within her. She rolled her eyes shut, took another sip of her drink, and breathed a long sigh. "So you already know."

Theodora chuckled to herself, the sound a deep, rumbling hum as she flicked her rimless glasses back up her elegant nose. "I still listen to the chatter from time to time. Noticed some real activity a few weeks back and decided to listen in for a bit. Probably knew about it before you did, actually."

Blake huffed an amused breath as she shook her head. "Don't say it."

"Blake, this liquor is making everything I say come out easier." Theodora hummed a quaint chuckle, amused at her own declaration as she took another drink and smacked her lips. "Me telling you that this is a bad idea is something you should have expected when you came over here."

As Theodora placed her cup back on the table, Blake snatched hers and gulped down a large swig. She parted from the glass with a loud breath then slammed the cup back on the table, throwing herself back against the couch like a limp noodle.

"Yep," chuckled Theodora, twitching her trim chocolate-brown brow as she lifted her cup and made a mock toast to Blake. "What have people told you? That it's a bad idea?"

As Theodora took a drink, Blake rolled her eyes. "I don't want to get into all of the details right now. I'm in no mood even _with_ the drinks." Blake hefted herself back upright and rubbed at her temples soothingly. "Thanks for the drinks, by the way."

Theodora gestured towards Blake with her drink, took another sip. "Anytime."

Blake chuckled to herself. It _had_ been too long since she last had a drink with her friend. It was returning to her why she enjoyed Theodora's company so much as she watched the bear-Faunus drink her cup down to only one-third left. A Faunus rough around the edges when you got to know her, so unlike herself. _If Yang was a Faunus…_ she thought with a smirk. "How can you be almost done when you _just_ made that for yourself?"

Theodora's expression scrunched in confusion as she glanced at her cup and swished around the remaining contents. She looked back at Blake with a shrug. "I'm thirsty."

Blake shook her head, a warm smirk making itself warmer on her face as the liquor really began to enter her system. "Damn it, Theodora, I need you at least slightly sober for right now."

"For what?" asked Theodora.

Blake pulled out a folded paper from her pocket that wasn't the one Ruby gave to her. This note was one she'd made days before, just after she'd gotten herself together from her call. A text she'd gotten from a blocked number left a series of letters and numbers in her scroll without any context. When it dawned on her this was a code she'd never seen before, she quickly wrote it down on paper before erasing the text from her history.

Theodora unfolded the note, took one look at the box of symbols written inside, and then threw it to the coffee table with a weary sigh. "Blake…"

"Theodora, please," said Blake. Her hands were clasped before Theodora, begging her. "This is incredibly important to me. I would never ask you to do this for me unless I absolutely needed your help."

"Blake," said Theodora as she rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses and sighed. "Is there any way I can talk you out of this? In all one-hundred-percent-seriousess, what can I do to convince you to not go to this man's funeral?"

"Nothing, Theodora. Nothing that my team and my husband haven't already told me," answered Blake.

"Stay for the kids? Stay because your husband wants to spend the rest of the break making love to you? Stay because… oh, I dunno, Adam was a raving savage who bent a good cause to become his justification of mass-slaughter?" Theodora shrugged innocently. "I think those are pretty good reasons not to go if you ask me, Blake. The last one's a real doozy."

Blake groaned and ran her hands through her raven-black hair. "Nothing you can say, Theo!"

"Seriously. One last time. I want you to really think and tell me. Let me know what it takes to keep you away from the people who used the _both of us_ as weapons for their righteous war. The same people _you_ aided me in defecting from. Give me one reason- _one good reason_ \- why I should help you find your way back to them after we _both_ put them in our taillights and never turned back." Theodora wiped her nose and kept her amber-brown eyes fixed on Blake with absolute seriousness. No joking in her posture, no buzzed teasing to be found in the way she hunched towards Blake, waiting patiently for an answer. "Well? I'm waiting?"

Blake was silent for a few moments while she thought angrily to herself. Then, she swiped her cup from the coffee table, took another long drink, and slammed it back down, wiping her lips as she steeled herself and said, "I want to make sure he's dead. To make sure neither he nor the White Fang can ever one day show up at the doorstep of the house where my two children sleep. I want to be sure, _absolutely sure_ , that Dawn and Dusk are living in a world without the fear that drove you, me, and Adam down the paths we took. I want to bury the last relic tying me to that group, and leave for the absolute last time."

Silence. Theodora's eyes flickered and dashed across Blake's face, but the feline-Faunus's cherry-red cheeks and stalwart expression gave no signs of lying or making up what she'd just said. Blake's aroma as Theodora sniffed it in small, barely noticeable sniffs, reeked of her heart's honest truth. A lot of her old senses from her days as a White Fang special operative had gathered dust, but her sense of smell could never grow unfamiliar; not for a member of the Oso tribe born and raised to survive. All the tricks in the world could never cause her to doubt its conclusions.

Theodora breathed a long sigh, then sat herself up again, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Alright. One _last_ time, Blake."

Whatever kept Blake's stoic seriousness together crumbled as she beamed with tears in her eyes. "Really?! You will-?"

" _Last. Time_ , Blake. _The_ last." Theodora growled, holding a finger at Blake as her amber eyes flared red with controlled fury. "For the both of us. Alright?"

Taking a breath, Blake nodded. "Alright."

Theodora leaned herself back with her drink, appearing too agitated to drink the rest of her A.M.F. in one gulp as she took a somber sip from her cup. "Let me guess, you haven't told Sun and the kids what you're doing."

Blake said nothing, only shook her head. "I don't need them worrying about me right now. Afterwards, Sun can get mad at me all he wants, so can the kids. But right now I need time to prepare. To focus."

Theodora scoffed. "I suppose you won't cut me slack and listen when I tell you _that's_ a terrible idea and possibly worse than the first?" When Blake shook her head, Theodora downed the last of her drink and gave a victorious cry as the liquor set fire to her insides. "Damn, I needed this drink for this conversation!"

"By when can you have this deciphered?" asked Blake with a slightly humored chuckle.

"Pfft. By tomorrow, probably. I could do it now, but I want to get nice and inebriated to commemorate that jackass's death and your terrible plan." Theodora stood, taking her cup with her before abruptly stopping and blinking as though something just occurred to her. "Wait, did I say that out loud? Eh, whatever. You understand, right?"

Blake chuckled uneasily then drank down the rest of her drink. "Loud and clear…"

"I'll take that if you're done," said Theodora, gesturing to the cup in Blake's hands. Blake noticed and nodded, handing it to her with a small thanks. "You want some more liquor?"

"No, I need to drive home still," laughed Blake. "Just give me something small. Rum and ginger ale."

"Sure thing. We can both get warm and fuzzy while I regale you with the absolute best of my elementary students' shenanigans," laughed Theodora, giving a small wiggle of her hips to music only she could hear.

"As long as they're not my kids, by all means, ramble on. God knows I need a laugh," chuckled Blake.

"Oh yeah, speaking of the kids," said Theodora, her tone more thoughtful than Blake had anticipated for someone on the fast-track to singing bad pop songs with a lampshade drawn over her head. Theodora blinked a few times as though to clear the fuzzy haze overcoming her mind, then pointed an authoritative finger at Blake. " _You_ owe them _big time_ when all this is through and done for. I know you mean well and all, but those babies deserve better than their mother running off in the middle of the night to god-knows-where to mourn the death of an infamous terrorist."

The order hit Blake hard, causing her to flinch subconsciously as Theodora spoke for children who were supposed to be only students to her. Blake grimaced as it came to her how much Theodora loved for Dawn and Dusk. It killed her to know how little she'd considered the effect her absence would have on her two children. She lowered her gaze to her lap, weaving her hands shamefully in her lap. "I know, Theo. I really _do_ owe them…"

"Not to mention you're gonna owe Sun a big favor as well after you come back," said Theodora with far too much impish glee for Blake to not worry what she was implying. Of course, looking up, Blake confirmed Theodora was all to obviously implying exactly what she thought Theodora was implying when she saw the slender bear-Faunus fan herself with her hand, swooning as though she were about to faint. "Maybe some really kinky fetish of his you'll have to indulge him on. Oh! Maybe have you playing the fair maiden that's ravaged by the dashing, rugged Vacuo vagabond! Oh, how scandalous!"

"Oh, shut _up_ , Theo!" cried Blake, tossing a nearby pillow at her friend and missing by a mile. Theodora had already dashed past her into the kitchen, laughing maniacally as the pillow impacted the wall and fell to the ground.

"Oooooh, _feisty!_ I'm sure a Vacuo tramp like Sun'll have a fun time taming a lovely raven-haired panther such as yourself!" crooned Theodora from the safety of her kitchen. Blake allowed herself to uncork the laughter her previously consumed liquor had built up while she listened to Theodora describe in graphic detail in all the ways Sun would pleasure her.

Her heart alighted to the sound of her own laughter. She made sure to enjoy it while she could.

It would be one of the last times for quite some time Blake would be able to do so.

xXx

 _*THWACK!*_

"Ah!" cried Dusk in a sharp breath. Dawn disarmed him yet again. He didn't even really want to get frustrated this time. There was too much on his mind, most of it having to do with the recurring dreams he'd been having over the past week since the phone call.

 _(She will leave under the cover of night.)_

 _(She is too afraid of waking you to kiss you goodnight.)_

 _(She will not kiss you goodbye when she leaves.)_

"Dusk!"

The boy blinked and realized someone was calling to him. _Spaced out again…_ "Y-Yes?" He didn't even know who it was the voice belonged to.

His senses came in and out of focus like fixing the aperture of a camera. The right focus seemed to be achieved as his auntie Weiss strode over to him, picking up his sparring stick on her way towards him. "That's the fourth time today I've seen you get disarmed from a simple mistake, Dusk! I didn't take you for one who let his form deteriorate after a few simple errors!"

Dusk peered up at his aunt, her snow-white hair gleaming silver in the afternoon light. He squinted and rubbed his eyes. "I know, auntie Weiss. I'm sorry."

"Dusk, is something the matter? If it is, you know you _can_ sit out for a little bit," said Weiss.

Dusk peered over her shoulder and saw his mother walk out onto the porch, her face brightening when her gaze met his. Dusk smiled gently as Blake waved to him, then shook his head vigorously before looking back up to his auntie Weiss. "I think I just… need to practice my form again on my own for a little bit. Get my head back in the game."

Weiss was hesitant as she watched her nephew. There were bags under his eyes that she'd never seen on him before, the little boy's golden irises shining bright in the contours of tired eyelids. She made a note of them as she nodded softly. "Alright, Dusk. Remember, if you aren't feeling well, you don't need to be practicing."

"I know, auntie Weiss," replied Dusk with a small smile. The boy walked a few paces off and began striking the air with weak whooshes of effort. Small, tired breaths escaped him with each swing.

"I'm gonna go inside and get water, auntie," said Dawn, jogging beside Weiss with panting breaths. She followed her aunt's ice-blue eyes to her little brother and huffed out a breathless sigh. "Is he alright?"

"Has he been sleeping alright, Dawn?" asked Weiss.

Dawn wiped her lips of spittle and shook her head. "No, he's been having weird dreams lately."

Weiss turned and saw Blake sitting at the base of her porch steps leading to the backyard clearing. Even from here, the heiress could see her teammate's worried expression as she watched her son practicing in the distance.

"Go on," said Weiss to Dawn, patting her back as she gestured towards the house with a small smile. "Get yourself a drink and catch your breath."

Dawn nodded and gave her sparring stick back to Weiss as she dashed back towards her house. She gave a fleeting hello to her mother before disappearing into the abode. As Blake turned back to face the backyard again, Weiss appeared before her with her arms across her chest.

"How's he doing?" asked Blake, her voice small as her eyes traveled past Weiss to Dusk behind her.

"Dawn tells me he isn't getting a lot of sleep lately." Weiss also turned to watch the golden-haired boy throw two strikes, then swivel to force a third behind him with a yell of exertion. She could hear Dusk's voice waver with the underlying exhaustion clearly weighing him down. "I can see bags under his eyes, Blake."

Blake breathed a trembling sigh as she ran her hand through her hair. "It's on and off, Weiss. That's the worst part. Some nights go by, two, three in a row with no problems. Then he shows up in the morning like a zombie and it's two, three nights in a row where there's nothing but problems."

"Nightmares?" asked Weiss.

Blake shook her head. "He doesn't look scared when he wakes up, more like he's dazed and confused from whatever he saw. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if he just had a nightmare. He looks so lost sometimes when I go up to check up on him…"

Weiss felt her heart ache for the boy and his mother who seemed so bewildered by this problem of hers. "How many days since a normal night?"

"Last night was the second where he got basically no sleep," said Blake with a sigh. "I thought maybe him getting a little training with you might help him konk out easier when he tries to go to bed."

"It's worth a shot, I suppose," replied Weiss with a soft chuckle. Off in the distance, she saw Dusk bring his stick down in an arc for two strikes then stride forward with a side strike and a forceful yell. Weiss cocked her head slightly to the side in confusion. "What the…?"

"Hmm?" hummed Blake, her cat-ears perking up from her teammate's confused tone. "What is it?"

"Have you been teaching Dusk on the sly, Blake?" asked Weiss.

Blake paused for a moment, then lifted her head from where it leaned on her arm. "Not with weapons, no. He's still trying to figure out what best suits him."

Weiss gestured for Blake to stand. Blake did, then followed Weiss's gaze and noticed what it was that puzzled Weiss so. Each swing Dusk made of his stick was done so with both hands on the hilt.

"I never taught him to hit like that, Blake," muttered Weiss in quiet shock. "Not with those kinds of strikes and footwork, and certainly not with that grip."

Blake squinted in confusion as she watched her son throw the stick in wide slicing arcs through the air, then shook her head. "I've… I've never seen him do this before."

Weiss turned to Blake. "You said he didn't know what weapon he wanted to pick up yet, right?"

"N-No, he doesn't know yet. At least, not enough for…" Blake trailed off as she gestured to Dusk as he struck at the air with his whooshing cuts and guttural cries.

"The only other kind of swordplay I've ever seen up close is yours, Blake. It's definitely not mine," said Weiss, lifting her hands as if to shift the blame from herself. "So…"

Blake rubbed the back of her head as she shook it in confusion. "I… _trained_ myself the past week. Just going outside when _I_ couldn't sleep and did a few small drills with Gambol Shroud to get myself tired again. He _could_ have been watching me, I guess…"

"But in just a week, Blake?" asked Weiss.

Again, Blake shook her head, shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never seen this before either."

In the distance, Dusk swung his sword up by his head and held it there, the tip of the stick pointed where he focused his attention and his legs spread and lowered in a slightly obtuse arch. That stance was familiar to Blake no matter where she saw it. So he _had_ been watching her drill in the backyard.

But the way Dusk stood… His eyes sharp and focused solely at his imaginary target… His blade just barely wavering as he held it _and_ his stance like a praying mantis coiled for the strike…

 _This_ … This she had seen somewhere before. Like deja vu…

The backdoor opened and Dawn came back outside, breaking Blake's train of thought as her daughter stepped up to Weiss and asked for her sparring stick. "Is Dusk doing okay? Is he good for another spar?"

Weiss turned to Blake and shook her head with a shrug, the surprise clearly noticeable. "I… I _think_ he is…?"

Blake stepped forward then and cupped her hands around her mouth. " _Dusk!_ "

Immediately, Dusk blinked from his focus and turned around to his mother. "Yes, mama?"

Blake waved for him to come back, which he did. As he jogged to a stop before the three girls, all could see a strange, curious little smile curling the corners of his lips. "What is it, mama?"

"Dawn was wondering if you wanted to spar with her again. Do you think you can do just one more with her?" asked Blake, her voice soft and sweet.

Dusk was more chipper to hear this than Blake, Weiss, _and_ Dawn had expected him to be. He was even bouncing a little in place. _Was he excited?_ "Oh! Sure! I wanna try again, too!"

"You… sure?" asked Dawn, "I can go easy if you want, you know…"

"No, don't go easy. I want to see if I know what I did wrong," said Dusk. The small smile rushed his lips again as the strange excitement bounced in his legs still.

Dawn turned up to Weiss, who shrugged helplessly from her niece's wordless question. "Alright, go ahead and walk out to your places, then."

Both kids did just this, Dusk standing across from Dawn with a focus that seemed to eliminate all the exhaustion that once weighed his posture down. Weiss and Blake both noted this from their respective conditions, and Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Blake as though to ask if she should actually go through with this. Blake merely shook her head, shrugged, and gestured for her to go ahead and let Dusk try.

Weiss turned back around and held her hand in the air between the two kids. "Alright, you two ready?" She asked more to Dusk than to the both of them.

"Mmhm," hummed Dusk, the bounce in his legs melting as he braced himself for what was about to come next.

"Yep," quipped Dawn, licking her lips in concentration.

Weiss threw her hand down. "Go!"

Dawn strode forward to strike Dusk in a flourish, but Dusk side-stepped to let his parry carry her stick past his head harmlessly. With a slight shift of weight, Dusk swung his weapon in the opposite direction and let Dawn's momentum bring her head into solid contact with his swing, the smack of her forehead against wood loud and reverberating as it carried across the backyard.

Dawn reeled in shock and pain as her head snapped back from the force. Weiss and Blake were speechless from the fluid cleanliness of Dusk's motions, the force behind the perfect strike he landed.

As such, Weiss forgot to call the spar with Dusk's headshot.

And as such, Dusk didn't break from his trance.

He pivoted on his foot and used his momentum to sweep Dawn's leg out and up from under her. She fell onto her back with a loud thump and a surprised yelp of pain as her back arched over her from the force of her fall.

In another flash of motion, Dusk coiled and brought his stick down in a shrill, whistling strike aimed at Dawn while she was down.

"Dusk, _stop!_ "

Dusk froze with a jump like a jolt of electricity shot through him. Blake had dashed forward from where she sat on the porch the instant she saw Dusk sweep Dawn's legs, and had outstretched her arm between Dusk's weapon and Dawn directly beneath it. Dusk's wide eyes processed his mother's shocked expression first, then descended to see the blunt end of his weapon stopped in mid-swing mere inches away from his big sister's neck.

Dusk breathed a shuddering gasp as though he'd just remembered how to breathe and stepped away from his groaning sister. His sparring stick trembled in his grip.

"Dusk?" asked Blake in a soft voice. "What's wrong?"

"I… I'm gonna go inside and take a bath. I don't want to spar anymore today. I'm tired," said Dusk in a rapid, dull succession. In a vacant gesture, Dusk held his sparring stick out for Weiss to take, which she did just as he gave her a small and thankful hug. "Thanks for the training, auntie Weiss. I'm gonna go inside, now."

Weiss, still stunned from the boy's savage flurry of strikes, took the stick and hug offered to her without thinking, and reached out to stop Dusk only after he had already dashed inside the house. Slowly, she turned back around to Blake and met her bewildered gaze with her own. "What in the blazes was _that?_ "

Blake opened her mouth, but no answer came out as she opted to only shake her head in dumbfounded surprise. "I… I have no idea."

Dawn coughed suddenly, and the focus of the two women instantly shifted back to the girl who'd been so quickly and cleanly knocked onto her back. Blake's hands were on Dawn's shoulders instantly as she helped her to sit up.

"Dawn, are you alright? Are you hurt?" asked Blake in a fast, frantic breath, her hands traveling all over her daughter to check for any physical trauma she could possibly detect.

Dawn, of course, wiggled out from her mother's wandering hands and coughed with a weak chuckle. "I'm fine, mama! I'm fine! I just got thrown to the ground, is all. Where's Dusk? I wanted to tell him he gave me a nice, solid hit!"

Blake and Weiss chuckled warmly, both thankful Dawn had taken two calculated strikes as something not to hold a grudge over. "He went inside, baby. Said he wanted to take a shower and rest for the rest of the day."

Dawn's goofy smile faltered when she heard this, and her eyes dipped down to the snow. "Oh. Okay."

"Dawn," asked Weiss, stepping forward as Blake helped Dawn stand. "Have you been training Dusk how to fight on your own time?"

"No! Oh, no way! I couldn't train Dusk nearly as well as you do, auntie Weiss," said Dawn.

"Oh," murmured Weiss, tucking a strand of her snow-white hair behind her ear as she thought to herself. "Alright, then. Never mind."

"You didn't teach him how to hit like that, did you, auntie Weiss?" asked Dawn in a gentle voice.

Weiss turned back towards Dawn, puzzled by her niece's sudden shift in mood. "What makes you think that, sweetie?"

"I dunno," muttered Dawn, her face scrunching as she warred over the words in her head. "When I saw him step and I saw the way he swung his sword, it was like… It just kinda felt like…"

Suddenly, a phrase entered Blake's mind that sent a shiver down her spine as she found herself saying it subconsciously: "Like it wasn't Dusk?"

Dawn turned look at her mother in surprise. "Y-Yeah… Like Dusk would never hit like that. Does that make any sense, mama?"

Blake swallowed, her throat inexplicably dry. "Yes, baby."

She turned and looked back towards the house. "That makes sense."

xXx

Dusk stepped into the shower's scalding water, but didn't care that it stabbed at his skin. He turned the water handle down, but wanted to keep the water as warm as he could tolerate.

The alien sensation. It had done something he'd never felt it do before.

While he was out drilling by himself in the field, he felt his exhaustion slip in and around the back of his eyes and crawl up towards the center of his forehead. It had felt so nice, like a cool, soothing breeze was blowing through-

 _("Remember, keep your back straight, Blake! Shoulders up and then strike like this-!")_

-his inner self. It coaxed him behind his eyes and helped him order his motions and swings with practiced ease. The whoosh he heard as his weapon flew through the air before him was more than just gratifying, it was-

 _("Perfect! Just like that! Again! Just like this, watch me, Blake! HRAGH-!")_

-familiar.

Another whoosh, another strike and cry to move his force forward. It helped momentum and it kept his head in the heat of the moment. Kept him ready to throw whatever blow he dealt next with the same or greater force as the last one. The alien sensation whispered behind his forehead in ways he could hear and also in ways he could not, the soundless suggestions traveling through his will to correct the language of the orders he gave to his limbs. Swing this way, and-

 _(A little down, more force.)_

-remember to step. Follow through, pivot, bring-

 _(Your foot forward as your arms descend, move with the blow like so.)_

-the stick back down in a perfect arc. Again and again and again.

When his mother called him back and told him Dawn still wanted to spar, Dusk had been excited to test out his newfound sight he'd barely noticed the strange looks everyone gave him as he walked with Dawn to their sparring positions. As he stood in place, he took his mind to the same place he'd achieved a few moments earlier and felt the cool, whispering breaths float about behind his eyes.

Then Weiss called for the spar to begin, and Dusk let his mind go blank. Next thing he knew, Dusk felt-

 _("Why must you hurt me this way, Blake?")_

-a flash of red streak behind his senses-

 _(A red blade, striking the one he loves most in this world.)_

-and-

" _Dusk, stop!_ "

Dusk's eyes flew open as his senses jolted back into his control. His wooden blade froze above his mother's outstretched arm in mid-flight. The realization hit him his blow hadn't been meant for Dawn's head, but for-

 _(A red blade, beheading his mother.)_

-her neck.

Whatever he said next didn't last in Dusk's memory. He was just glad whatever he'd said seemed enough that no one followed him into the house. He pounded up the stairs to his room, dug out a change of clothes as fast as he could, and dashed into the bathroom to lock himself in.

Once inside, once he had unclothed himself and stepped into the scalding shower water, Dusk allowed himself to hyperventilate in large, terrified gasps. It hit him all at once that he had no memory of sweeping Dawn from her feet and throwing the blow that would have struck her neck. All he remembered was the blur of landing the strike on her head, but even that memory felt like he was seeing it twice. As though he knew where her step would land and how her practice sword would fall before she even moved.

And as though it were the most casual thing in the whole world, Dusk retorted her blow accordingly. Like he knew what she was going to do before she did it.

But after that, Dusk could remember nothing. Nothing but a-

 _("I will destroy everything you love…")_

-spectre of anger too great for him to not feel a shiver down his back when he tried to think about it. And beyond everything else, he had the creeping fear that his anger-

 _("Consider this the spark.")_

-was not his own.

Dusk pounded a small fist on the shower wall, the hot water scalding him as his senses slowly returned to his control. His breath began to slow again, but the fear was taking a much slower route from his mind than his breathing. _What's happening to me?_

Dusk twisted the handle of the shower to a cooler temperature, allowing the cool waters to sooth his steaming skin. He exited the bath after the waters had sufficiently cooled him off, then walked in front of the misty mirror.

Wiping his hand across the surface, Dusk saw only himself. A healthy, fit little boy with golden hair, cat ears, eyes, and a face people told him was "adorable," "handsome," and "reminded them of his mother."

Dusk peered at himself in the mirror long and hard, drawing his focus like before with slow, calm breaths exactly his father taught him when he learned to meditate. When he felt the calm envelop him, the cool breath came as well, but he staved it from washing through his inner self as it had when he fought. He didn't want to pull _that_ out again for right now.

What Dusk _wanted_ to pull out entered his grasp again, and he opened his eyes.

Dusk was speechless when he saw his reflection staring back at him with wide golden eyes drawn into thin slits just like a cat's.

However, Dusk made sure to calm himself before he could lose focus again.

 _Alright,_ he thought as he licked his lips and leaned on the sink counter towards his reflection like a man about to do business. _So_ this _is what it looks like._

 _Now…_

Dusk took a breath and let the cool whispers float back into the pulsing sensation in his forehead.

 _(Let me see again…)_

xXx

Blake had just told Dawn to go upstairs and take a shower when she turned and saw Weiss suddenly grab her wrist.

"Weiss, wha-?" was all Blake could manage before Weiss dragged her through her house in a silent rush. She barely had time to register the briefcase Weiss was holding in her hand, wonder where she had gotten such a sleek and shiny item that looked like it held Remnant's most precious secrets beneath its clasps, before she was thrown into her room. Weiss came in immediately behind her and shut the door, locking it with a quick flick of her wrist.

"Weiss, what are you-?"

"Shhh," whispered Weiss, placing her finger on Blake's lips. For one of the briefest and strangest moments of her adult life, Blake imagined Weiss was about to confess her hidden love for her and promptly shove her tongue down her throat after the declaration. However, the moment came and went, and Weiss lowered her finger as she glanced around to see and hear if anybody was nearby. When she concluded that she and Blake were, indeed, alone, she jabbed her hand out before Blake. "Scroll."

"Weiss-"

"Blake, Sun is going to come home very soon and I won't be able to do this once he's here. Give me your phone right now while I have time," hissed Weiss. Blake hesitated, then dug out her scroll to hold out to Weiss. Her teammate took it without saying a word.

"So, what's…?"

"Give me a bit," muttered Weiss as she walked over to Blake's bed and flipped her suitcase open with a click and a flourish. As she laid it open on the bed, Blake was slightly disappointed that there was nothing inside of the briefcase except two black screens taking up the entirety of either flap.

Then, Weiss placed Blake's scroll on one of the black surfaces and placed her own on the other. She hadn't seen it through Weiss's rushing, but Blake noticed a switch on the handle that Weiss pressed to activate the entire device. The black screens fluttered to life with flowing green light like shooting stars streaking across the monitors.

 _Monitors_ , Blake thought, her mouth making a silent "o." _It's a computer._

"This will share a data file from my phone to yours that will let you activate a signal only Schnee Co. technology can detect for when you need to get picked up from Adam's funeral. Ruby's given the receiver to her smuggler so he'll know immediately when you want to leave," explained Weiss, turning to Blake and grinning with pride of her tech. "Wouldn't want a sister to get stranded, now would we?"

Blake gave Weiss a confused look. "Wait, how did you know I was going?"

There was a quaint beeping from the briefcase as both monitors flashed green three times, then faded back to black as the briefcase deactivated. Weiss removed Blake's scroll and handed it back with a smile. "Our insufferable leader made a surprise visit to tell me how my well-wishes to you were pointless and to make sure you had an untraceable exit strategy before going out."

Blake took her scroll back with a gentle chuckle as she realized she'd been so preoccupied with Dusk's sleeping problems she hadn't even considered it. "T-Thanks, Weiss. I really appreciate this…"

Weiss shook her head as she turned to clasp the briefcase shut. "I'll take that as 'Blake' for 'Thanks Weiss for setting up an escape for me while I was busy trying to help my son get a normal night's sleep again.'"

Blake flinched, her smile dimming to a weak grin. Weiss turned and saw her teammate's downcast demeanor instantly.

"Blake."

"Hmm?" Blake turned up to Weiss as she walked before her.

"You _are_ still going, right?" asked Weiss.

Blake hesitated with her answer for what seemed like a millennia. She ruminated on thoughts revolving around her son and how he might fare while she was gone. Would he get over whatever was keeping him from sleep while she was out? Would it get worse? Is his trouble sleeping because of stress about something he hadn't told her? Stress over how sad she's been ever since the first phonecall?

She thought about all this for a second, took a breath, then nodded. "Yeah. I am."

Silence overcame the room. Weiss noticed the hesitation in Blake's voice while she answered. A thought occurred to her that she might try and say something to try and cheer Blake up, but stopped herself. It appeared Blake had answered on shaky ground, and any further attempt to talk about her decision would only serve to confuse her choice even further.

Instead, Weiss huffed and brought Blake into a hug.

"Check in on the kids while I'm out. Okay, Weiss?" asked Blake with a trembling breath.

"You know you don't even need to ask," chuckled Weiss. The two parted and Weiss gave a final pat on Blake's shoulder, though she didn't seem happy or encouraging. "For God's sake, stay safe, Blake. For those kids upstairs."

Blake nodded. "I will."

Weiss parted, left the room, and then the house after. Blake wiped the latent tears from her eyes and walked up the stairs to Dusk's room. She was about to knock on the door when she noticed it was already open a slight crack and the lights inside the room were off. Blake opened it a smidge and looked into the darkened room to see Dusk curled up in his bed, sleeping sound as a baby.

Blake's mouth opened. An impulse willed her to tuck him in and kiss him on his cheek, but she stopped herself. Her son had an uncanny knack for being a relatively light sleeper whenever it was her who moved near him while he slept. Fearing she might wake him, Blake gently shut the door and walked downstairs, her thoughts to talk with Dusk about what happened in the backyard vanishing as she breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was at least sleeping again.

Her footsteps vanished down the stairs, and Dusk opened his eyes. A cat's one moment-

 _(She will not kiss you goodnight when she leaves.)_

-then his own the next.

Dusk got up from his bed and walked over to his closet, taking his backpack out and placing it on his bed.

 _(She will not kiss you goodbye when she leaves.)_

He knew exactly what he was going to do.

xXx

Blake's golden eyes opened as she felt the gentle rise and fall of Sun's broad chest against her bare breasts. Every breath she took came out as a low purr as she felt his naked body slide softly along his. The warm ghost of his seed still glowed low in her belly from their lovemaking mere hours before. A blush bloomed in Blake's cheeks from the memory, then she weaved her hands up to cup her husband's handsome face in her fingers.

"Sun," whispered Blake, the purr of her voice traveling from her body to his. She lightly patted her hand on his cheek a few times, making sure the liquor they'd both consumed that night had knocked him out well and good. "Sun. Hey, Sun."

No answer, no matter what she did.

Then... it's time.

Blake smiled sadly, then lifted herself and kissed Sun with a gently burning passion. She let her tongue slide in and around his as her every breath sent a low purr from her mouth directly into his. Two of her most natural signs of love she could give him, for what she was about to put him through, she gave lovingly.

Blake parted her lips from his and planted one final peck for good measure. "I love you."

Then, she wiggled out from his embrace and stood to get dressed.

Her bags were packed. Her weapon stashed in one suitcase and her clothes and some R.E.M. rations in the other. She brought them both out to her car and threw them in the trunk, slamming it shut.

She went back inside the house and shut the door behind her before going up the stairs to Dawn's room. Blake smiled warmly as she knelt beside her sleeping daughter, chuckling softly to herself as she lamented how like her father she was in how deeply she slept. She brushed the raven-black hair from Dawn's cheek and planted a long and loving kiss on her soft skin.

"I love you, my beautiful Dawn," whispered Blake.

Gently, Blake drew the covers up to cover Dawn's shoulders before leaving the room as silently as she had entered.

Next, she reached Dusk's door, lifted her hand to grip the handle, and then stopped.

 _Not him,_ Blake thought to herself, _I don't want him to be awake._

Her hand fell back to her side.

 _Let him sleep._

With a trembling breath, Blake pressed her lips against Dusk's bedroom door, wishing it was her son's gentle little cheek as she parted after barely a second of touching the cool wooden surface.

"I love you, my wonderful little Dusk," whispered Blake.

She went down the stairs as quickly as she could while still remaining discreet. Whipping out her scroll, she checked and double-checked her list and took a breath when she saw all the materials checked off.

 _Time to go, then._

Blake walked to the door, noticing it was open a crack in the corner of her mind but not caring enough to give it a second thought. She merely made sure it was shut when she closed it behind her and locked for good measure.

Impulse told her to check the trunk one last time to make sure all of her things were in order, but a glance at the time on her scroll told her she could overlook such a procedure tonight. The time for her rendezvous with Ruby's smuggler was approaching too close to the time window of how long it would take to drive to where he was.

Shaking her head, Blake grunted as she shoved the phone back into her pant pocket and opened her car door, taking one last look at her house before stepping in.

She didn't turn on the car lights until she was out of the neighborhood.

The drive taken was long and silent, no music entering Blake's desires to play. There was only the road ahead and the soft hum of the engines and tires as they took her to the far edge of Umbra Valley to the outermost airfield of the settlement. Arriving at the road to the gates, Blake took out her scroll and sent a message to the smuggler just as he had instructed her to a few nights prior. A few short moments later, the airfield's gates slid open.

Blake took a deep breath, then drove in.

The Bullhead in the distance grew larger as she drove closer to it. Beneath it, a portly little man with a bushy black beard waved her over and she drove up beside him, lowered her window to let him speak.

"Missus B?" asked the smuggler with a rough, expectant voice.

"Yes, that's me," answered Blake.

"You sure like to cut it close, I hope you know that. We're gonna have to leave _right now._ Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

Blake rolled her eyes shut, took a breath, and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."

The smuggler waited for his customer's uneasy answer to be followed up by a quick redaction, but when it didn't come, he nodded in affirmation of the woman's consent to leave. "Alright. Do you need help with luggage, or…?"

"Thanks, but I'll get it myself. It isn't much," answered Blake barely above a whisper. Again, the smuggler simply nodded and turned to enter the Bullhead to do whatever pre-flight maintenance Blake imagined he was doing. If Ruby trusted him, then…

Blake steeled herself, then pulled the trunk latch and stepped out from the car, taking her keys with her.

"You got the keys to that car there, ma'am?" called the smuggler as he poked his head out from the cockpit.

Blake waved them in the air. "Do anything to this car and you'll regret it, pal!" she shouted at him.

"Don't worry, ma'am! It'd be bad for business to break trust like that! Not a scratch!"

Blake took his word for it, then reached the trunk and nearly had a heart attack when she opened the lid.

Dusk peered up sheepishly from where he curled in beside the two suitcases, a flashlight in his hand and a book in the other he had brought along for the long ride.

He saw his mother's horrified expression and chuckled uneasily as he nervously adjusted his backpack strap on his shoulder.

"Uh… Heh…" Dusk waved his hand once, a terrified smile twisting his lips in a pretzel. "Hi… mama…"

It took all of Blake's willpower not to scream right then and there.

xXx

 **A/N: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, it would seem. Huehuehuehue…**

 **Dawn and Dusk have both been hella fun to write, but Dusk has been an especially interesting case. I originally planned only to develop Dawn as the daughter of Blake and Sun and was gonna have Dusk be the obligatory younger brother character without too much depth put into his personality.**

 **But when I set him loose in my head and let Dusk be Dusk, he turned out to be quite the curious and intrepid little boy taking after the most interesting traits of both parents. Curious and bold like his father, but intrepid and willful like his mama.**

 **Not to mention a habit of keeping secrets.**

 **I'll leave it up to you guys to guess which side of the family he gets that trait from. ;)**

 **So yep. Happy birthday, Dawn and Dusk. You've grown to be quite the interesting little kittens over the past year, and I wholeheartedly look forward to writing more of you in the weeks, months, and years to come so I can watch you both grow.**

 **That being said, I guess now's as good a time as any to announce I am likely behind schedule to completing the first draft of "Eternal Autumn" by November as I had promised. As such, I will probably take down the story from FF so it's not just taking up space and re-upload once I'm ready to release the full, edited story to the world.**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **Holding On To You," "Car Radio," "Trees," "Truce"**_ **– Twenty One Pilots,** _ **"Vessel"**_

" _ **Love Songs For Robots"**_ **– Patrick Watson,** _ **"Love Songs For Robots"**_

" _ **The Judge," "Hometown," "Goner"**_ **– Twenty One Pilots,** _ **"Blurryface"**_

" _ **Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)," "Welcome to the Machine," "Wish You Were Here," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 6-9)"**_ **– Pink Floyd,** _ **"Wish You Were Here"**_

" _ **Vigenette: Panacea," "Viginette: Visions," "Viginette: Corruption"**_ **– Disasterpiece,** _ **"Hyper Light Drifter"**_

" _ **The Moment I Said It"**_ **– Imogen Heap,** _ **"Speak For Yourself"**_

" _ **From The Beginning"**_ **– Emerson, Lake & Palmer, **_**"Trilogy"**_

 **Bless you all for your readership, and for a great year of discovery and writing.**

 **To the future, and until next time,**

 **-M.E. Grimm**


	5. Her Beautiful Dawn (Part 1)

**Author's Greetings:**

 **I don't own RWBY, obviously. Don't think I have to worry about it on this site, but hey, you never know, ammirite?**

 **Goddamn this summer has been a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs like nothing I've ever gone through before** _ **ever**_ **. Lots of catching up with old friends, becoming closer with my big sis than ever before, fighting to better understand my ADD (A rather victorious fight, if I may say so myself), discovering my Anxiety and discovering ways to work with it (Another rather victorious fight, though one hard-fought), drilling myself to read more and more books than ever before…**

 **And the writing… Oh, the** _ **writing…**_

 **The beginning of my summer was rough when it came to writing. I hit the hardest writer's block of my entire life with "Eternal Autumn" around early June or so, and the massive panic attack which came after lasted much longer than I had hoped. That was easily the hardest week I think I've had in a very long time, and it definitely wasn't easy to admit to myself I had Anxiety on top of my ADD.**

 **But it was not to last.**

 **I got into my school's Honors College over the summer. I wrote an original short story in one sitting. I've read "Robinson Crusoe," "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Graveyard Book," "The Elements of Style," "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe," "Count Zero," and am currently reading "I Am Malala" after so damn long.**

 **I've written four more chapters of "Eternal Autumn," wrote a quick one-shot of Zenyatta from Overwatch that I'll be editing & uploading soon, and have another completed chapter of BSK on the way. As of right now, I have written ten chapters during my break.**

 **Safe it to say, I think my Summer of Writing 2016 has been a successful one. ;)**

 **I thank my sister first and foremost because of how open we now are with one another. Without half the talks I've had with her during this summer, I don't know how I could have the emotional and mental fortitude I now possess.**

 **Next, I thank my IRL friends John and Ashley for being such great friends and listening to me when I so desperately need a patient ear. They taught me it doesn't matter if we don't see each other for long periods of time, or that I shouldn't feel bad if we've talked mostly through texting. A good thing is a good thing, and if you have a good friend willing to listen to you whenever the mood gets you up or down, distance or presence shouldn't matter.**

 **Speaking of text conversations, I also want to thank my fellow artists and creators following me on Tumblr, "Interdimensional Meat-Pie" and "Tanglecolors," for all the great conversations and support you've given me throughout this summer. They are both immensely talented and the best new friends I could ask for. I ask everyone to give them a look-see as soon as you're finished reading this chapter.**

 **Now without further ado, I present to you the chapter that brought me out of my writing funk.**

 **Enjoy. ;)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Five: Her Beautiful Dawn**_ _ **)**_

 _ **(Part 1)**_

" _Madaminu anata aemasu you ni,_

 _Onaka wo sasuri itsumo negatta,_

 _Fu-u-u, fu-u-u, donna kao shiteru ka na,_

 _Fu-u-u, fu-u-u, donna koe wo shiteru no…"_

 **-Masakatsu Takagi, _"Mother's Song" (Untranslated)_**

" _May I meet you soon, my yet unseen child,_

 _I always wished as I stroked my belly,_

 _Fu-u-u, fu-u-u, I wonder how your face looks like?_

 _Fu-u-u, fu-u-u, I wonder how your voice sounds like?"_

 **-Masakatsu Takagi, _"Mother's Song" (English Translation)_**

xXx

 _Seven Years Before Chapter One..._

She was outside again. Of course she'd be outside, the weather was perfect and spring was at the height of its blossom. A perfect ruby sunset was glowing like an ember in the distance, providing just enough light for his wife to read.

Sun, of course, beamed with pride and love. How could he not feel as such when she'd been absolutely incredible through these past couple of months? He was so excited he couldn't even feel giddy when the emotion captured him anymore. It was a sort of zen that overcame him now. A perfect calm. The eye of the storm that would be, in time, the arrival of their first child.

Sun drained the sink of its soapy water, noticing the silence of the house. A smile bloomed across his lips.

 _Yep. She's definitely outside._

Another glance out the window. The view of the valley and the far-off mountain range was nothing short of breathtaking in the falling descent of evening. Sun's chest swelled unconsciously with pride. An ancient, innate satisfaction only an expecting father can know.

 _They're going to love it here,_ Sun thought with a low chuckle. _We picked good, Belle._

He took his time as he walked to the backdoor and quietly opened it. The breath of the valley filled his lungs as he walked into the warm, blushing glow of the setting sun. As always, it felt fresher than anything he'd ever breathed in his entire life, and he wondered for the briefest moment if it was all a dream. If the life he lived was indeed too good to be true and in a few moments he would be rudely awakened as he crashed back into his life as it had been growing up in Vacuo. Never having a home to call his own. Never having a family to welcome him with open arms.

Then Sun exhaled a long, relaxed breath, and opened his eyes.

Blake was there as usual, in the backyard. As she'd taken a habit of doing this last month, she was walking in gentle, unhurried circles across the crimson grass with a book in her hand. Her hair flowed out in a curtain of midnight-black rippling in the wind. The same wind playing with her hair also whipped her turquoise-blue dress around her bare legs where it ended just beneath her knees.

But of course, Sun's attention always gravitated to the modest swell of Blake's belly without fail. Roughly the size of a volleyball, the bump had been the center of both his and Blake's universes for the past nine months and he thought it made her look stunning. She of course disagreed with him on this on a regular basis, most notably during the middle months when it really began to show itself and the side-effects really took their toll on her. Some of her animosity amused him, though most of the time he'd save the laughing for when she wasn't in the mood to claw his eyes out because she wanted more frozen grapes right this very moment or needed help getting to the bathroom because she was about to vomit.

He doted on her whenever he could, working hard to keep her comfortable at all times, and was at her beck and call every moment of the day while at home. He made breakfast and dinner every day for the both of them, and would find ways to make her lunch even though work and her own protestations to just let her do it herself so he wouldn't be late always arose to obstruct him.

But no matter what, Sun always, _always_ told her she looked absolutely beautiful. Even though she'd sometimes brush him off as being sappy, Sun had meant what he said every time he said it. _Every time._ Because he wasn't sure Blake knew every time he laid his eyes upon her maternal swell, saw her caress it unconsciously throughout the day or while she slept, or whenever he touched it with his own hands, he felt himself on the verge of tears. Whenever he'd woken up to find both their arms cradling the fledgling life between them both, he _had_ cried.

Because it was better than any dream. It was _real_. _This_ was real. Blake, over there in the distance, one hand holding a novel and the other running itself across the lunar surface of her blossoming tummy wherein their unborn child slept.

Blake's lips were moving and Sun realized she was reading the book aloud to the baby. _"The Hobbit."_ She'd ran through a bunch of other books all throughout the pregnancy, something they'd both heard was a good way to bond with the baby before it was born. The selection was entirely Blake's, of course, and it showed when he recalled the list; most of them being, out of the few he'd managed to read in the past, books he'd never read before. _"Watership Down,"_ _"Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone,"_ and _"Fahrenheit 451"_ were just a few to list.

This was the woman he'd fallen in love with. This miraculous, brilliant, incredible woman who loved him enough to marry him, live with him, and now bear his child to raise alongside him. He couldn't wait for the day to come. It was supposed to be any day now, but each day that went by made him more restless for that moment he so desperately wanted to see.

That moment when-

"Hey."

Sun snapped out from his thoughts. Blake was there at the bottom of the porch steps, the book folded in her hand. She smiled up at him.

"Done cleaning the kitchen?" she asked.

Sun nodded. "Y-Yeah, I just, you know, noticed you weren't in the house." A pause as Sun watched a stray breeze toss Blake's hair like black flames behind her. She glowed with a radiance exclusive to expectant mothers as her beauty and grace left Sun incapable of saying anything except, "You look beautiful, Blake."

Blake, of course, rolled her eyes and smiled. "Surprise, surprise."

Sun shrugged. "You know I mean it when I say it, right? Every time."

Blake ascended the steps, one hand cradling her belly and her other holding Sun's as he offered it to her. _Ever the gentleman,_ Blake thought. When she stepped beside him, she raised herself on her tip-toes and pecked him on the cheek.

"I know," said Blake. "Say it again."

Sun's arm wrapped instinctively across her hip, bringing her flush against him. He brushed her bangs from her face, ran the side of his hand along the smooth skin of her fair cheek as he drank in the light of the sun dancing in her golden eyes. Would the child have her eyes? Her hair? Her smile? He couldn't help but wonder. He couldn't help but smile as he did.

"You're beautiful, Belle," said Sun. There was silence for a few moments as Blake held Sun's hand until one of them, neither entirely sure who, closed the distance and brought their lips together. Unhurried. Warmed by the falling sun as it fell into the grave of the horizon.

They walked into the house together, his arm still wrapped around her waist as she did the same for him.

"God, I'm already becoming an old maid," said Blake.

Sun bumped her hip. Blake bumped back with a swing of her own hips. Sun laughed and returned it in kind, both bumping the other over and over again.

xXx

"You worried?"

The question was Sun's, asked while they sat together in the warm water of their bathtub. Sun sat against the tub's back curve while Blake fit herself snugly into his embrace. At one point, these baths had been sensual and arousing, and even now they still were, in a way. But early on in her pregnancy it had become something far more than just sexual. This was clear as Sun unhurriedly ran the washcloth across the burgeoning surface of Blake's womb for the thousandth time, her skin shining like polished alabaster in the bathroom light.

Blake didn't mind the attention one bit. It was nice to let Sun shoulder the work in these later months even for something as simple as bathing, when simply carrying around her child made her tired practically right as she woke up. She leaned back with a low, luxuriant sigh against her husband's solid form, resting her cheek against the base of his neck.

"I've been worried," said Blake softly, her eyes flicking up to Sun. "You mean which of my worries are actually valid?"

"Like what?"

"Oh…" Blake trailed off with a shrug, breathed a soft sigh as she lifted a hand to rub the smooth surface of her stomach. "You know… Will there be problems we don't know about? Will they like it here? Will they grow up right...?"

Sun chuckled low and shook his head. "Blake…"

"Will they be able to become who they want to be when they're older?" continued Blake, lost in thought. "Will they make mistakes we can't fix when they're older? Will I… be a good mother…?"

"Blake."

Sun's hand lifted from the water and fell upon hers atop her belly. His fingers curled around hers, threading his through hers as he spoke. She loved how her name sounded pressed against him. A low, powerful rumble of sound soothing her as it always did. Blake shimmied herself closer against him. "What?"

"You know," said Sun, "I can't wait until our child meets you, Blake."

"Yeah?" Blake whispered back.

"Mmhm. I can't wait 'till they see the kind of woman their mother is. All her fears and all her dreams and all her mistakes and all the things that made her the woman she was when she became pregnant with them." Sun's lips brushed against Blake's ear. "I can't wait for them to meet the woman I fell in love with."

A powerful warmth spread through Blake's chest, and she blushed with a small chuckle. Again, she settled against Sun. Again, Sun accepted her deeper into his arms.

Gently, Sun pressed his lips against her damp hair. "You're gonna have so much to give them, Blake. They're gonna adore you. I promise."

"You shouldn't leave yourself out, you know," said Blake, her fingers tightening around his on her belly as she glanced at him from the corner of her vision. "Their father's a pretty extraordinary guy, too. I should know."

Sun chuckled again, his low, warm, humming rumble of amusement sending a shiver through Blake. He pressed his lips against her hair once more. "I do know. I wasn't the one worrying."

"Alright," said Blake, bringing his hand to her lips for a kiss, then pressing it against her heart. "Just remember to take a break from all your loving so I can let you know I love you, too. Alright?"

Sun rolled his eyes shut, a blush blooming through his entire body. "Mmhm. Alright."

Blake kissed Sun. "I love you."

"I know."

Silence settled over the bathroom for quite some time. No effort was made to break it, both Sun and Blake luxuriating in the presence they shared. They stroked the unborn child sleeping in her tummy without meaning to, the instinct so natural it seemed to occur completely on its own. Both saw this, and both were silently elated.

"I love you," whispered Blake again.

Sun kissed Blake's cheek, resting his against hers. He stared at their hands stroking the surface of her belly poking out from beneath the water and said, "I love you two, too."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Really, Sun?"

"Yeah." Sun looked at Blake with a sly smirk. "Really."

"I feel sorry for this baby."

"So do I."

They stared at one another in an unspoken competition, waiting for the other's expression to break into a smile first. Blake lost, and Sun kissed her in consolation.

"More 'Hobbit?'" asked Sun.

"More 'Hobbit,'" answered Blake.

Sun aided Blake in getting out of the bathtub and drying herself off. It amazed him, knowing he could still feel her muscles beneath her soft flesh, the latent power still coiled underneath. Once hewed from combat and survival, now devoted to the safekeeping of the precious cargo she carried. She looked like a goddess in Sun's eyes. This was no less true as Sun dried the last damp patch of Blake's skin and drank in the naked form of his expecting wife. Her cream-white skin glowing with a light of its own.

"Like the moon," said Sun.

"Hmm?" Blake turned to Sun with a puzzled expression. "What'd you say?"

"Nothing," said Sun with a chuckle. "You look like a goddess."

Blake blushed as she shook her head in playful admonishment. She tried with far less effort than usual to hide her appreciation whenever he complimented her like this, and he could see it as she stood taller, more elegant than usual while hanging her towel on its rack. "Thanks."

Their preparation for bed was as ordinary as ever, and when they both fell into bed, Blake slipped into Sun's arms as though it were second nature.

"Where were we again?" asked Sun.

"Beorn's cottage," said Blake as she flipped open the yellow paperback and eased herself against Sun's broad chest.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a little crowded in there, you know," said Blake, patting her stomach with a gentle huff and a smile. "You know how it is."

Sun glanced down at Blake as she brought her lips to his. He didn't think of the right thing to say to her in that moment, and it bothered him politely in the back of his mind all throughout that night's oration. It was only after Blake had begun to doze off and he removed the book from her hands, turned off the bedside lamp, and eased her beneath the covers with him that he discovered what it was he had wanted to say.

Not to her, but to the baby she carried.

"I can't wait for you to meet her, you know," Sun whispered to the bump in Blake's tummy, giving it an encouraging pat as he watched his sleeping wife with a mixture of powerful love and pride. "She'll surprise you. She'll make you laugh. She'll read to every night you. She'll intimidate you, for sure. But I think she'll inspire you more than anything. I know she inspires me…"

Sun let his head fall against his pillow, searching for more things to say in Blake's peaceful expression.

"She'll love you," Sun finally whispered, "with all her heart. Because that's how she always loves. Even if it kills her, she can love enough to tear the whole world apart. She's stubborn like that, but… I wouldn't love her any other way. She was like that when I fell in love with her, and she was like that when she became pregnant with you..."

There were a million other things he wanted to say. A billion other things he wanted to admit while Blake wasn't awake to make him feel embarrassed about how sappy it all sounded. A trillion different ways he loved his wife and unborn child that he could think about in half a heartbeat, but didn't have half the innate skill with words Blake always had to put them all together.

So, as always, Sun chose to repeat himself. Because it was clunky, informal, and redundant; but in the end, true.

"I can't wait until you meet your mother," Sun whispered, smiling. "She's gonna give you so many things that I don't even know about. So many things because she loves you so much and we haven't even met you yet."

Blake wiggled closer against him in her sleep, and Sun allowed his warmth to combine with hers as his eyes fluttered shut.

"We're waiting for you. And we can't wait until you come."

xXx

At first Sun thought it was some kind of waking dream. The haze of sleep was still draped over his mind, making each movement of the bedsheets seem like waves of the ocean crashing down on him. If the sounds he heard from the other side of the bed came from his head or the real world, his sleeping mind was deceptive enough to make the difference hard to discern.

Sun probably should have known something was up when Blake first began to groan and shift in his arms, but his sleeping prevented rational thought. He simply heard it, then dismissed it casually. Probably just the baby causing a bit of discomfort.

In a way, he wasn't entirely incorrect.

"Gonna vomit?" asked Sun through the fog of sleep. He barely tried to move his arm from Blake's stomach as she sat herself up with hisses of pain and effort. After nine months of waking up under similar circumstances, surely this one didn't require any more alarm than Sun had chosen to allocate to it whenever it happened. He didn't need to be entirely awake or alert particularly quickly, and so made no effort to do so now.

"No," said Blake, gritting her teeth as she groaned. She placed one hand on the lower curve of her tummy and the other along the curve of her lower back to rub them both. "Baby's kicking. Or I'm having cramps."

"Or both," grumbled Sun with a chuckle.

"Or both, yeah. I-" Blake went silent as Sun heard her shift her legs from beneath the blankets. Sun _did_ hear a strange sound, though his reaction was not nearly as intense as Blake's when she abruptly whispered, "Oh _shit…_ "

"Hmm? Wuzzit? What happened?" asked Sun, lifting his head from his attempt to lay it back down again.

"Sun, I think…" Blake's voice trailed off as her hand fell between her legs and the squelching sound of damp, soaked cloth arose from the quiet. Blake's eyes went wide as saucers in the darkness of the room, and Sun could see the shock in her golden eyes clear as daylight.

In all his infinite stupidity, Sun still failed to put the pieces together even as Blake's trembling hand lifted from her thighs drenched in clear, viscous fluid.

"Bladder go again?" asked Sun.

"Sun, I think my water's breaking," said Blake, more of a declaration to the general area of the room than a statement directed at Sun. There was a sudden shift of the sheets as Blake cast them off herself to reveal a large damp blotch in the mattress originating from her pelvic region. "Sun, _my water's breaking._ "

Sun didn't say anything to this, not even when he glanced over and saw the water stain between Blake's legs. It started to fall into his grasp, what was going on, but as with most extraordinary life events meant to occur in only rare intervals, the fact it was happening made it's digestion into Sun's still-waking mind somewhat difficult. I mean, how many people are _actually prepared_ when a woman goes into labor? Wasn't it the point that the baby was supposed to be unexpected? That _was_ what they'd taught him in the classes Sun had taken with Blake to prepare her, wasn't it?

As stupid thoughts tend to do in the limbo of half-awakedness, this rationalization kept Sun from fully accepting the events transpiring as reality.

"'Breaking'? What do you mean, 'breaking'? Doesn't it usually just 'break' and that's that?" Sun would later reflect on what he said, and forever cringe.

"Sun, sometimes it just _leaks!_ That's irrelevant right now, dammit! Sun, _the baby is coming!_ Do you understand? I'm going into _labor!_ " cried Blake. She stood herself, then leaned sideways against the headboard with a shocked gasp. There was a gentle trickle of liquid when she stood like a damp umbrella dripping rain onto a spotless lobby. But as soon as she fell against the headboard, the gentle trickle grew into a rush of water.

 _Water breaking._

The trickle growing into a running splash resonated in Sun's mind.

 _Her water's breaking._

"Sun?!"

 _Blake's water is breaking._

"Oh shit…" whispered Sun.

 _Blake's going into labor._

Sun's eyes grew wide with sudden, rushing, unstoppable understanding.

 _The baby's coming._

 _The baby's coming!_

"Oh… _shit!_ " cried Sun as he leapt out from beneath the covers in a frantic rush to get over to Blake's side. It was happening. It was happening tonight.

The baby was coming _tonight._

"Oh shit," Sun repeated over and over again, even as he reached Blake and helped her steady her legs. "Oh shit, oh shit, _oh shit._ "

"Oh. Good to know you're finally back amongst the living," said Blake between breaths, adding matter-of-factly, "I'm going into labor."

"I'm so sorry, Blake, holy shit," said Sun.

"Yeah, no biggie. I'm just going into _fucking labor._ " Blake took a shuddering breath of shock and pain. Sun felt another splash of water fall near their legs.

"Does it hurt?"

"Periods hurt. This hurts a little more, but I mean… it could get worse? How about we get in the car first and worry about this at the _hospital?_ " said Blake testily.

"Yeah. Yeah," said Sun, nodding in agreement as he wrapped his arms around Blake and helped her through the house to the car. Gingerly, he eased her into the passenger seat, then bolted into the driver's seat and jammed the key into the ignition.

"Sorry, Belle, I was half awake. I sounded like such a stupid ass," said Sun quickly, laughing at himself as he did.

"Yeah, no kidding mister 'I-care-about-the-nuances-of-water-breaking,'" said Blake in a furious hiss.

Sun stifled his laughter with a snort. "It was pretty funny."

"Just focus on the road right now, genius." Blake's reluctant smile could be heard in her words, and Sun imagined he could see it in the corner of his sight. But another gasp of surprise and pain from Blake followed with more running fluids, eliminating it.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," gasped Blake. "Your car…"

Sun's hand held Blake's tight. She glanced and saw him only smiling as he drove through the pre-dawn hour. "Don't worry about it, it's fine."

Another jab of pain. Blake grit her teeth and hissed to swallow it, which she did with relative ease. It was probably going to get worse before the end of the night, of that she was sure. But her quick handling of the pain allowed a thought to enter her mind which had failed to arrive earlier due to her panic.

 _The baby's coming._

Blake's fingers curled around Sun's, locking them in a loving, thrilled grip. A small laugh managed to escape her, much to her own complete amazement.

 _I'm having a baby._

 _I'm going to have my child._

xXx

By the time Sun drove into the Umbra Valley General Hospital's emergency voyeur, Blake's contractions had, as she had predicted, grown in intensity. The vallet waiting by the sliding doors was quick to assess the situation as soon as Sun stopped the car, and immediately sent a message to the lobby to prepare for a delivery.

Sun got out from the driver's side of the vehicle and was jogging over to open Blake's door when the vallet ran beside him.

"They're bringing a wheelchair for her, sir," said the vallet. "May I see your keys?"

"Huh?" Sun whipped around and saw the vallet, then registered what he'd said. "Oh! Y-Yeah, just a second, lemme help her up first…"

The vallet wasted no time in holding the door open for Sun as he aided Blake to stand on her trembling legs.

"Thank you…" Blake murmured to the vallet.

The young man simply smiled and waved a hand. "Happens all the time here. It's nothing."

The nurses reached her soon after and spared no hesitation in getting her into the wheelchair to speed off into the hospital. Sun gave the valet his keys then followed close beside the entire time, keeping his pace to make sure her hand stayed in his. Each cry of pain Blake yelped instinctively tore at Sun's insides, and he ran his thumb along her hand whenever she squeezed.

"You're doing fine, babe. You'll be fine. You can do this," Sun said to Blake over and over again.

Blake laughed breathlessly. "You think I'm worried?"

"Well," said Sun with a chuckle, "not anymore, no. You think I'm worried?"

"Yes."

Sun laughed. "Good thing I can squeeze your hand if I start getting too squeamish."

Blake tried laughing, but was set upon by another wave of pain and gasped out a cry that killed Sun's humor. After they rounded another corner, he descended and pressed his lips tight against her cheek.

"I'm here, alright? I'll be here the whole time, I promise," Sun said against Blake's damp skin.

Blake's fingers tightened around his like a vice.

"I know," said Blake with a trembling breath.

"You'll do fine."

"Okay."

Sun hesitated for a moment, then he allowed himself to smile. "We're gonna have a baby, Blake."

Blake's eyes became clouded with tears, though she could hardly begin to weep when another wave of pain robbed her of her ability to speak. At the sound of Blake's cry, Sun gripped Blake's hand as his smile melted from his face.

"Oh man, we're gonna have a baby…"

Sun said nothing else as he followed Blake and her nurses into the room they'd set up for her. They adeptly maneuvered her from the wheelchair to the bed as they began the proper procedures for handling the delivery of the baby. One of the nurses went to Sun and tapped him on the shoulder politely.

"Sir, are you the father?" the nurse asked. She was holding a black tablet against her chest as she did.

"Yes, I am," said Sun.

"Do you have your scroll on you? I just want to scan your identity to log you and your wife into the system. Shouldn't take more than a second."

With his free hand, Sun searched all over his person for his phone and yanked it out from his pocket with a triumphant breath. "Aha, I remembered to bring it."

The nurse laughed gently and pressed the offered scroll against her tablet. When the scan was completed, shock blossomed across the young woman's face.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?" asked Sun.

Blake lifted her head through labored breaths, reacting instantly to Sun's words. "Something's… wrong…?"

"Oh, no! No, no, you're doing fine, ma'am! Nothing's wrong at all!" stammered the nurse. She returned Sun's scroll to him and cleared her throat before saying, "It's just… you're Sun Wukong. _The_ Sun Wukong."

Sun waited impatiently for her to elaborate. "And?"

The nurse glanced at Blake and nodded reverently. Beneath her face mask, Sun could see her smile. "That makes you _the_ Blake Belladonna of team RWBY, ma'am?"

"Yeah?" Blake also waited for the nurse to make her point, her impatience far more visible on her than on her husband. "And?"

"It's… an honor, ma'am. I can't believe I'm here to help _the_ Blake Belladonna deliver her first child." The nurse held the tablet close against her chest as she bowed a quick nod of respect to both Sun and Blake. "The doctor who's gonna help you is great, I promise. You have nothing to worry about, ma'am. Just leave it to us."

With that, the nurse turned and rushed out around the doorway down the hall, leaving Sun and Blake in bewildered silence.

"Um…?" whispered Blake.

Sun waited for a moment, then glanced sideways at Blake. A devious grin sliced across his lips. "I'm having a kid with _the Blake Belladonna,_ babe."

Blake groaned and rolled her eyes. "Don't make this any harder than it already is…"

But Sun couldn't resist turning in his seat and leaning his face slowly towards her.

"Sun, please…"

"I got in the pants of _the_ Blake Belladonna…" whispered Sun. He was lifting his eyebrows up and down fetchingly as he leaned in ever closer towards her.

"Nooooooo…" groaned Blake, draping an arm over her eyes as a blush bloomed on her cheeks. Sun's heart warmed as he watched the corners of her lips twitch into a reluctant smile, then he kissed her on the cheek.

"She's a very special girl, you know," whispered Sun. "One of a kind."

"Sun, I'm about to deliver our _child_ , dammit."

"Yeah, actually, it's been a little bit since your last-"

" _A-Argh! Gah!_ " Blake's fingers clenched tight around his, the muscles in her neck straining as she rode out the contraction with all her might.

"Yep, yep, there it is." Sun scooted his seat closer to the bed, settled himself into the cushion, and held Blake's fist with both hands as he watched her every movement with the utmost care and concern.

"Okay, missus Wukong, the next time that happens I'm gonna need you to push _hard,_ okay?" said the nurse at the end of the bed as she stretched latex gloves over her hands.

"Okay…" Blake said through a gasp for air. Her elegant neck relaxed and her head fell against her pillow, her hair a sea of midnight-black dotted with sweat. While she fought to regain her breath, Blake managed to weakly nod her head. "Okay…"

Sun carefully wiped the sweat and damp hair from her forehead with a gentle brush of his hand and pulled her cheek to his lips. "You've got this, babe. I know you've got this."

Blake squeezed his hand in response. A redundant reply, but one easy for her to manage.

"I'll be here, Belle. Right here, the whole time. If it hurts, just _squeeze my hand._ I don't care if you break it."

"Okay…"

"I love you, Blake."

"I lo… I lov-"

Blake's expression contorted in the most intense pain Sun had ever seen her experience with his own two eyes. Her back arched, her head pressing deeper into her pillow as she whimpered in agony.

"Alright, now _push!_ "

As Sun watched his wife cry her pain into the ceiling, he saw determination glimmer like embers in her golden eyes. He didn't need to ask her if she was doing all she could when he saw it; she was doing all she could and _even more_. He saw that glimmer in her eyes too many times during The Cataclysm to worry if Blake wasn't strong enough. There was no question of that to be had, not a shred of skepticism to be found in his mind regarding that.

All he needed to do was be here, as always, for her.

As dutifully as ever, Sun remained by Blake's side as the night and the delivery went on.

Outside, the black of night was breaking. The morning sun glowed beyond the horizon.

xXx

"Almost there!"

Blake lost count of all the times she'd heard the doctor tell her that throughout the grueling delivery. So much so that she tried to not even think and focus only on following the directions. Push. Relax. Breathe. Get ready. Push.

"You're doing great, Belle," Sun said against Blake's cheek as he kissed it.

"You said that already," said Blake.

Sun chuckled to himself. "I mean it."

Another wave hit Blake and she cried out again as invisible fingers dug into her lower back and tore apart whatever was inside. While she felt this, Blake grit through the pain and pushed without needing to hear the doctor instruct her again. She crushed Sun's hand, but it didn't move one inch while she squeezed. The moment passed and Blake fell limp against her bed while she fought to catch her breath and gather her strength.

"Not like training or surviving, huh?" said Sun while he wiped the sweat from her forehead. Blake opened her eyes half-lidded and saw the palpable concern on Sun's face while he cared for her so sweetly. Trying to hide his concern, no doubt. What had she done to deserve such a sweetheart? Someone who could love her with such a boundless ferocity?

Whatever it was, now wasn't the time to jinx it, Blake thought. Not while in labor, certainly, and Blake merely laughed while she met Sun's eyes through her exhaustion. "I mean, I _have_ been stabbed before. Maybe that got me ready."

Sun rubbed her hand in his and smiled. "So you _can_ keep your humor. For a moment there I thought you were getting fed up with everything."

He could see her displeasure like an open book even now. Of course he could. "If he tells me 'almost there' one more time, Sun…"

Sun shook his head and laughed. "You can't see, but you are almost there, babe. Just a little more."

Upon hearing this, Blake's smile vanished. She laid her head back against the pillow and tried to catch her breath quicker than before. Sun kissed her cheek again, once, twice.

"You can do this," whispered Sun into her ear.

"I know."

"I know you can, babe."

"I love you, Sun."

Sun said nothing, only kissed her cheek again.

"Alright, miss Wukong, _push!_ "

Pain enveloped Blake as she pushed with all her being, squeezing her husband's hand so hard she was sure she'd have to apologize later for grinding the bones within to dust. She pushed and pushed, and when she felt she couldn't anymore, she pushed some more.

"I see a head!"

Sun's face appeared in the corner of Blake's awareness, brushing against her skin just as it had the night her child was conceived. Loving, loyal, faithful, and resolute as ever. "You keep pushing, Blake Belladonna. You keep pushing and finish this. You're so close. Our child's almost here."

Blake grit her teeth, tears flowing from her tightly clenched eyes.

" _Come on. Push._ "

Blake _roared_ into the room, pouring everything she had, everything making her who she was, every bad memory, every wonderful joy, every disappointment, every loss, every happiness and sadness she'd ever known into this one forceful, decisive, and final push.

" _Almost there!"_

And she pushed some more.

When she finished her cry, another took its place.

Soft, wailing, indignant, and _new._

So very, very new...

xXx

A girl.

The thought swirled around in Blake's exhausted mind while she worked to regain her strength. It had been the last thing she'd heard before the wave of exhaustion hit her full on and darkness swept in to hold her in its dreamless embrace.

A baby girl.

You have a daughter, Blake.

Wait, those weren't her thoughts. She clung to the voice, holding it as leverage to bring herself back to awareness slowly but surely.

"Blake…"

Sun's thumb rubbed along the back of Blake's hand for the thousandth time and she opened her tired eyes. Her love was watching her with a warm smile. Something like pride was in there. Something like joy. All of it was pure happiness, and all of it was directed exclusively at Blake as he watched her rest. Tears were in his eyes. "You did it, Blake."

Blake wiggled her fingers in his fist, some of her strength returning to her as they curled and actually managed to tighten a little. She had a feeling Sun understood the effort and laughed as he brought her knuckle to his lips.

"Is… is she alright…?" asked Blake.

Sun opened his mouth to answer when someone entered into the room that stole his attention away from her. It must have been someone rather important, because as soon as he glanced away Blake saw Sun's eyes begin to tear up again.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" said the voice of the doctor as he came between Sun and Blake with a bundle of cloth in his arms.

The bundle was laid gently onto the bed beside her, and Blake saw her daughter for the very first time.

She didn't think she could breathe when she first looked upon the babe and saw the unmistakable thatch of black fuzz atop her delicate pink head. It was hers, that hair. Black as midnight. But there was also something else with the child, besides the tiny pink hands curled up to her tiny chest while she cooed gently in her sleep. At first, Blake mistook it for a ponytail. A length of black curling from the back of her daughter's head and tucking neatly into the cloth surrounding her.

But then it moved, flicking away from the infant's head while she tossed again in her first dreams.

A tail. Her daughter had a monkey's tail just like her father.

"It's a girl," said the doctor in a small voice, his smile beaming in his words. "Healthy as can be."

Tears welled up in Blake's eyes, and her hand pressed against her mouth to conceal her sharp, joyous cry. "Oh my God…"

The doctor laughed sweetly as Blake pressed her hand to her heart and he lifted the baby again to deposit in Sun's arms. He took his daughter reverently and bounced her gently. She was his daughter, every bit, and Blake could tell, and was happy.

"She looks like you…" said Blake with a chuckle.

"Yeah…" said Sun, tears breaking through his laughter as his eyes remained on his firstborn child. "She has your hair, though."

Blake chuckled, a loving warmth blooming through her breast while she watched her husband and daughter bond in the chair beside her.

"I'm gonna move the bed up so you can sit and have her rest in your arms, missus Wukong. Are you feeling up to it? Are you still tired?" asked the doctor.

Blake's answer was immediate and without hesitation. "No, I can do it. You can move the bed up, please."

The doctor gave an affirmative nod and moved somewhere beyond Blake's slowly-returning awareness. Wherever that was, the doctor flipped a switch and Blake felt the incline of her bed slowly rise. It curled on her legs and she winced just a little from the ghost pain of her very recent childbirth, but otherwise felt fine. Better, in fact, now that she could sit upright once more.

"Sun…" Blake whispered, waving a hand at him to come closer. "Can I see her?"

"Yeah. Yeah, here," said Sun as he stood and carefully, ever so carefully, transferred their child from his arms to Blake's.

The first thing Blake noticed was the weight. Like a little bundle carrying a seven-pound dumbbell beneath the covers. Somehow light and heavy at the exact same time. It helped her accept what was happening as real. That her happiest moment was currently being held in her arms. A little tangible lump of joy.

The next thing Blake noticed was how perfectly her daughter fit into the cradle of her arms. She could have held her there forever and not grow the least bit tired of it. Blake felt so much pride, so much love she could barely contain it all. She wanted to carry this baby girl in her arms for the rest of her life. Wanted to lift her up, hold her high in the sky so she could touch the stars. Nothing was too high. Nothing she could do, she knew in that instant, could ever adequately show the depth of her love for her daughter; though she knew she would gladly spend the rest of her life trying her hardest to do exactly that.

And glancing to her side, seeing Sun scoot his chair closer beside her bed to watch them both with such glowing love and pride, Blake knew he'd be doing the exact same thing right alongside her.

"She's beautiful," said Blake. She lifted a hand to wipe the leftover moisture from her eyes then returned it behind her daughter's soft head. "She's absolutely beautiful…"

A gentle rustle of motion beside her. Sun lifting himself from his chair, brushing the hair from Blake's cheek, kissing it over and over again in a trail ending beneath her ear. "Beautiful like her mother…"

Blake giggled, the smooth sound rumbling gently through her breasts where her daughter rested. "I knew you'd say that."

"I knew you'd say _that_ ," Sun retorted, chuckling against her cheek as he nuzzled it. "We deal in cliches a lot, don't we?"

"Yeah…" Blake's thoughts trailed off. Watching her daughter's tail twitch made her affection blossom once more, and she leaned against Sun's lips as she smiled. "She takes a lot after you, though…"

As soon as Blake said that, the babe began to stir in her arms.

"Sun…"

"Hmm?" Sun removed himself from Blake. "What's…?"

But he was looking at the same place as his wife when his daughter opened her eyes for the very first time. Two halos of bright storm gray peered back at them both. No one said a word as the infant's gaze flicked from mother to father with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Sun… she has your eyes," said Blake in amazement, turning to her husband to repeat the discovery. "Sun, look, she…"

But Blake found herself robbed of her capacities for speech when she turned and saw Sun's eyes overflow with tears. His lips trembled as his eyes met the ones his daughter had inherited from him, and Blake realized he knew that truth all too well.

"Sun…" Blake lifted a hand, her fingers lightly brushing along the scruff of Sun's sharp jawline.

A scattering of breaths escaped Sun's lips. He held Blake's hand and pressed it against his lips. He kissed it over and over and over again, then pressed his forehead against her temple and wept quietly in the space between. Whether it was him laughing or him crying, Blake felt she could understand him entirely in that one incredible moment.

"We have a family now, Blake," Sun whispered through his weeping. His lips slid along the skin of Blake's cheek to where she could feel his smile without even needing to look to confirm its existence.

"I know, Sun," said Blake, her voice soft as she kissed him on his cheek then on his lips. "You're a father now."

"You'll be a wonderful mother, Blake. I promise you," said Sun.

As he spoke, their daughter emoted a small cooing babble that instantly drew their attentions to the newborn. Her arms were reaching out to them with little, grasping fingers, begging for attention. The smile on the child's face melted Blake's already glowing heart. Her smile. Her daughter's first smile.

"Hello, little one," whispered Blake. She extended her right pinkie for her daughter to grasp with the entirety of her infantile fingers. It amazed her how very small the baby was. Was this the same bundle of joy that had caused her so much pain only moments ago? It couldn't be. It was, but… not this little angel, surely. "Don't worry, sweetie. I can see you. I'm here."

"She likes you already," said Sun.

"She's probably hungry," said Blake. As soon as she said this, the baby cooed and brought Blake's pinkie to her lips to suck upon. Blake turned to Sun and snorted. "See?"

"You… remembered what they told us about breastfeeding, right?" asked Sun. "Think you can do it?"

"Well… it's worth a try, I suppose." Blake leaned back so her daughter could rest on her tummy while she undid the front strap of her hospital gown. Shrugging off one side, Blake returned her arms beneath her child and brought her head to her freed breast. In no time at all, the babe's lips clasped around Blake's exposed nipple and began to nurse as though it were the most casual thing in the whole wide world.

"Wow," whispered Blake, amazed at how easily she'd gotten her baby to nurse and at how natural it felt. Like she'd been ready for this her whole entire life and all it took was for her to do it to discover its ease. Calm contentedness flowed through her aching body as she felt her breast slowly, casually empty itself of milk. She leaned back into her bed with a sigh.

Sun's hand appeared from nowhere and carefully ran itself along his daughter's pink cheeks. A soft, loving caress from father to daughter that Blake couldn't help but smile at.

"What's it feel like?" asked Sun.

"It feels like your daughter has an appetite." Blake breathed in and out in another low, unhurried sigh and smiled as she bounced her infant in her arms. "It feels wonderful."

"Two beautiful girls," said Sun. "I have two beautiful girls."

Blake laughed low in her chest, the sound rumbling through her breast to her nursing daughter. She turned to Sun and after a moment's pause said, "I love you, Sun."

Sun brought his lips to hers, parted with a smile mere millimeters away from her own. "Are you happy?"

"You know you don't need to ask me that," said Blake. "But I am, Sun. I am."

"That's good." Sun paused, then rested his cheek against hers while they watched their newborn nurse together. "If you're gonna ask me, by the way, the answer is yes."

Blake giggled. "Good to know."

The babe was quite hungry after her big debut, and almost completely emptied Blake's breast of milk before finally parting her lips from the rose-pink nub and belting out a rather hearty burp. Blake made sure to burp her again over her shoulder, then swayed her gently in her arms until the child fell asleep with a gurgle and a yawn.

"I don't think…"

"Hmm?" Blake glanced over at Sun. "What is it?"

"We didn't really… think up names, did we?" Sun turned a puzzled eye to Blake, but the shocked expression she gave in return was all he needed to know he was right. "We didn't, did we."

"Umm…" Blake's thoughts trailed off with her words, and she rubbed the side of her head in thought. "I could have sworn we had."

"How about," said Sun, "Dawn?"

Blake glanced over at Sun in surprise, but he only smiled and jutted his chin in the direction of the open window. The sun had just breached the horizon, the burgeoning tangerine light of a brand new day setting the waking world on fire with spring's colors. The firey bloom scattered in staccato lines through the window blinds to fall along the sleeping form of her newborn child. It caught in her small mess of jet-black hair, and Blake was smitten in an instant.

"Dawn…" Blake rolled the name around in her head. So much of it was perfect for such a sweet little girl. "I like that."

Blake bounced the newborn Dawn gently in her arms, smiling as she lightly brushed aside some of the child's bangs to watch her sleep so peacefully.

"My beautiful, beautiful Dawn…"

xXx

 _(A Few Hours Earlier…)_

xXx

The Domain. Remnant's auxiliary brain.

Penny's playground.

Well, not necessarily her playground. It wouldn't have been fair to say it was _all_ at her beck and call.

But oh, how she did feel so truly free in here. Her original design shackled Penny to her synthetic body without any way to access the Internet in a direct or wireless interface. She had been cut off, though in retrospect, perhaps for good reasons.

Now, after being rebuilt, things were far, far different.

Following The Cataclysm, technology had changed. The destruction of the four CCT towers allowed their reconstruction after Salem's demise to include vast improvements in both performance and function. No longer were the towers simply relay points to hold up the Internet that so many across Remnant accessed. Now, with the help of Atlas, but mostly from contributions given by Penny's father after being extradited to Vale, the towers were vast supercomputers. Levels upon levels of pure, raw computational power tasked with the burden of sustaining the new and immensely upgraded version of Remnant's cyberspace.

High-speed data accessible to all at speeds once thought impossible only ten years ago.

And all of it was overseen by, of course, Penny.

Not that many an ordinary citizen, nor the most powerful governments, nor even the wealthiest companies in the world were privy to this truth. No, this had been a decision that Penny's father agreed to only because he could trust no one else in the entire world, not even the land he had sworn allegiance to.

Penny had been bestowed the power she now enjoyed by the will of four legendary women, to whom she owed her life as well as her allegiance above all other sovereignties.

And now, one of these women was delivering her first child at Umbra Valley General Hospital.

To say Penny was delighted when Blake first announced her pregnancy was an understatement. Her excitement was so great that she had placed safeguards and notices all across the region of the Domain specifically allocated to Blake's home settlement of Umbra Valley. As soon as anything of note happened to Blake; if she got into a car crash, if she purchased a box of diapers at the local store, if she checked into a hospital; Penny would know in less than a picosecond.

Some would call it a breach of privacy, sure. Blake herself, in fact, would probably be the first to argue as such. But then, they did allow Penny power based on their wishes to have a benevolent guardian overseeing this new "Domain" her father created. It was just her looking after a good friend, really. Of course she was curious, also. Really, very, very, _very_ curious to see the newborn as soon as Blake brought she or he into the world. She'd never seen a newborn Faunus child before. She wondered what it would be like to hold the little babe in her arms for the first time…

But she was also _very_ worried, of course! It was only good sense to be able to know if a friend of hers was doing alright or not, _especially_ when she was carrying a brand new soul in her tummy for nine months.

The ping was one of trillions made across the Domain that very early spring morning. From high top her monolithic spire of refined and crystallized data, Penny stood at the edge and observed the auxiliary brain of Remnant pulse with activity. Far beneath her, the world was a sea of endless clouds shifting and migrating across a featureless planet of sleek black like polished granite. Pathways and currents and transfer points were scrawled across the surface in mathematically perfect rivers of visualized data. Even from high in her home, Penny could see the dashes of electric blue pulse beneath the clouds between other mountainous islands dotted across The Domain in endless, synaptic flashes.

All of this was their creation. All of this was forged by the souls her friends had saved. Penny couldn't hide the brilliant smile she felt growing on the face of her infomorph, her icon in the world of cyberspace. This was barely after a few years following what should have been the annihilation of life as all knew it on Remnant. She could hardly wait to see what the future generations brought to add to it. What kinds of things they would create with the gift of life her four friends had granted to them.

It was in the middle of this thought that Penny received the ping of Blake's admittance to the hospital, and her heart, or at least the qualia she had of it, practically skipped a beat. It was happening. It was happening _right now._

Her note of the location of both the hospital and the room Blake was in took barely half a stray thought to copy and place into messages. With each one, Penny made a separate copy of herself ("forks", she called them) to send a personal message for just the receivers. Much better than any ordinary text message, Penny thought to herself. The occasion was more than worthy of such a formality.

Penny snapped her fingers and a map of The Domain flickered to life in her upturned hand. The globe of emerald light pulsed, and small markers of different colors appeared in varying places on the globe. Some were nearby, thankfully most of Sun's team was stationed in Umbra Valley for work and thus could make it to the hospital with relative ease.

As for Blake's team…

It wasn't that they couldn't make it for the delivery, per se. Very likely, they would probably be there even before Sun's team managed to arrive.

But as Penny had predicted, they were nowhere near one another. And Ruby would be a particular problem, of course.

This did not discourage Penny, though. Nor did it cause her even the slightest hesitation when with a wave of her hand, her copies condensed into data packages and streaked off across The Domain to their receivers.

Penny waved another hand before herself, rigid paths of green energy pulsing in her arm as she did. The map of The Domain rushed into Umbra Valley and ended at an old, seemingly abandoned warehouse near the edge of Blake's hometown. With a tap of her finger, the ground rushed up to end at an underground chamber far beneath street level. Within was a single cylindrical pod which pulsed green with latent life.

Penny pressed it.

Her friend was delivering her first baby.

She wouldn't miss such a moment for anything. Not for the entire world.

And she knew the rest of team RWBY would think likewise.

xXx

 **A/N: Yeee, this was a fun'n to write. I'd never looked up the translated lyrics for Masakatsu Takagi's "Mother's Song," but I gotta tell you guys right now I legit almost cried when I learned what they meant. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.**

 **Can't wait to write the second part. In it is the reason I even chose to write about Dawn's birth in the first place. I have a feeling it's definitely gonna tear out a lot of you guys' hearts out when you read it, HUEHUEHUE… ;)**

 **But don't worry.**

 **Next chapter will get us back on track with Dusk and Blake's regularly scheduled mayhem.**

 **Hope you guys are ready.**

 **I know I am.**

 **;)**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **Panacea"**_ **– Disasterpiece,** _ **"Hyper Light Drifter"**_

" _ **Maternity Sky," "Newborn, Naked Morning," "Tanememi," "Mother's Song"**_ **– Masakatsu Takagi,** _ **"Wolf Children Soundtrack"**_

" _ **Cornfield Chase"**_ **– Hans Zimmer,** _ **"Interstellar: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"**_

 **Thanks a million again for reading, and until next time,**

 **-M.E. Grimm**


	6. When You Were Young

**Author's Greetings:**

 **Still don't own RWBY. Plans for world domination haven't fallen through yet.**

 **Not much to update on my end of the spectrum. Still trying to make a schedule for myself which keeps my writing habit healthy and active while also remembering to actually, you know, do schoolwork.**

 **Wish I could figure out what that schedule was already.**

 **But in the meantime, here's the next chapter in the Adam's Funeral arc.**

 **And ho boy, this pain train is only just starting to pick up steam.**

 **All aboard. ;)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Six: When You Were Young**_ _ **)**_

 _ **("I Bet My Life"- Part 3)**_

" _You sit there in your heartache,_

 _Waiting on some beautiful boy to,_

 _To save you from your old ways…"_

- **The Killers,** _ **"When You Were Young"**_

xXx

 _Directly after Chapter Four..._

 _He couldn't be here. He was not supposed to be here._

"Mama…?"

Blake couldn't quantify how she felt as she saw her son curled in between the suitcases. A moment of sheer unreality overcame her, because she hadn't imagined in all her wildest scenarios of tonight that her son would have stowed away to follow her. There was rage, then overwhelming fear, then sorrow, then confusion, then a whole other cycle of emotions. Her hand on the open car trunk trembled with fear, while the fist clenched at her side, shaking with rage.

 _He cannot be here._

Dusk's kitten ears flattened against his golden curls when his mother continued staring. He'd never seen her so dumbstruck before, so completely trapped within her own seething anger. "... Mama…?"

 _He should_ _ **not**_ _be here._

Blake's hand shot past Dusk's head. Dusk gave a slight whimper, fearing she was going to strike him across the cheek. The bed of the car trunk flew out from beneath Dusk's legs as Blake effortlessly yanked him out onto the tarmac beside the car. He stumbled a few steps, then was ruthlessly grabbed a second time. Before Dusk could properly stand on his own two feet, his mother's face was mere centimeters apart from his, and her golden eyes were set ablaze with rage.

" _What are you doing here?!"_ growled Blake, taking Dusk by the shoulders and shaking him. _"Dusk,_ _ **answer me!**_ _"_

Dusk's words caught in his throat, stunned from his mother's pure anger. He froze where he stood, only capable of staring wide-eyed into his mother's infuriated glare. "I… I-I…"

Another violent shake. _"_ _ **Answer me!**_ _"_

Dusk couldn't think, couldn't breathe. His mama had _never_ been this mad before, not even with his papa. It was a swirling vortex of uncut fury and all of it was directed solely at him. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He couldn't… He couldn't…

"Missus-?"

Blake whipped around. There stood the smuggler, his bleary eyes showing first confusion, then shocked discovery when he noticed Dusk.

 _Oh no…_

The smuggler lifted a confused finger at Dusk. "No one… said anything about taking a kid with you."

 _No, no, no…_

Blake's mind rushed a frantic hurricane of options and scenarios, all of them and none of them seeming viable in her panic. She hadn't been even remotely prepared for any of this. Oh God, what was going to happen now?

Don't think. Speak.

"I, uh…" Blake stammered, standing herself upright. She didn't pretend to smile, didn't pretend to play it off as cool; it wasn't. Her heart hammered in her chest. She hoped he didn't see how completely terrified she was. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He is not supposed to be here."

The smuggler glanced down at Dusk and lifted a brow. Blake could feel Dusk scramble behind her leg, fearful of the stranger. Reflexively, she reached behind herself and caressed his golden curls. She knew this wasn't him just being shy. He trembled beneath her fingers, flinched at her touch. Blake winced. It was _not_ supposed to happen like this. This was _not_ supposed to happen.

"Ma'am…" said the smuggler, rubbing his eyes by the bridge of his nose and breathing a tired sigh. "I don't know how to tell you this…"

Blake knew what the pilot was going to tell her, but she had to say it before he did. He would not let him say it. There was no way she'd let that happen. Not if she could prevent it. "Please, will you let me take him back home? I won't be long, please, just delay for a few hours or so. Just so I can get him back home-"

"We are," said the smuggler, "crunched on time right now, Missus B. I cannot wait any longer than I already have. This is a huge deviation from my typical schedule, not to mention I'm already prepped to pick you back up in three or so days."

Blake shook her head, her blood turning cold. "No."

The smuggler gave a regretful shrug. "Then I'm leaving without you."

"You know I can't take a child with me! You know it's too dangerous for him! Please, just give me an hour, two hours, please!" Blake felt herself on the verge of tears as she clasped her hands together in her desperate plea to the smuggler. "He cannot come with me to that place. _Please,_ sir…"

The smuggler winced a small grimace of discomfort, and he turned away from her. Hope bloomed beneath Blake's breast at the sight; she was getting through to him. It was possible, possible he may allow her this one leniency. Oh please, just let me, Blake thought over and over again. Just let me take him home. Just let me go back so he doesn't need to…

"I'm sorry, Missus B," said the smuggler finally. He took off his pork pie hat and ran a large hand through his mess of nappy black hair underneath before placing it back on and meeting her eyes with his own. There was no pleasure in what he was about to tell her, that much Blake could see all on her own. But that didn't make it any easier to hear when he said, "Either both of you are going or none of you. That's my final say in the matter."

All other sounds vanished aside from her own pounding heartbeat. The longer Blake listened to it in stunned silence, the louder and heavier it sounded. The sound a heart makes after it turns to lead.

The smuggler shrugged. "So, what's it gonna be, Missus B?"

 _(No.)_

It was a whisper, and Dusk wondered for a brief moment if his mama was actually refusing to leave.

 _(No.)_

 _(No, please, no.)_

 _(God, please, no.)_

But Dusk knew the words were not directed at the man. They were directed at _him_.

Dusk pressed himself tighter against Blake's leg. It gave Blake no comfort, and her hand remained still atop his golden blonde locks.

Rage flourished within Blake, but even in such blind fury, she knew there was no other way. How did it come to this? How in the hell had it come to this?

Her jaw grinded inside her cheek as she fought to steady her breathing. Once she felt a modicum of control over her emotions return to her, Blake took in a deep breath, exhaled, and said, "Fine. We're both going. Does that fit your _schedule?_ "

The smuggler's lips flattened, a slight understanding of her anger clear on his face as he met her spat words with another casual shrug. No contempt, no hurt feelings at all. He may have even sympathized with her a little. Blake wanted to punch him in the face for that. "To make it easier for you, I'll take half off my price for the whole round-trip. How's that sound?"

"Just get ready for take-off," said Blake. Her free fist was clenched so tight her knuckles were white as bone. The smuggler could see this, and simply nodded before walking off to the transport.

After his shuffling feet were no longer audible, silence stagnated between Dusk and Blake. Dusk glanced up to his mother. She was turned down and away from him. In thought. In anger. In spite. In fear. Her elegant fingers were still frozen in his hair, rigid and unflinching. If she could move her fingers, they'd be clenched into a fist. But she refrained. Fury consumed her, but not enough to yank at her own son's hair.

Even still…

"Mama…?" muttered Dusk, bunching a small handfull of her black combat pants and tugging softly. Dusk's heart throbbed low and pained in his chest with each second she continued to disregard him. A lump formed in his throat, and it felt like every breath he took trembled whether he wanted it to or not. "Mama…"

Blake's fingers left his hair as she strode over to the car trunk and wordlessly yanked out both her suitcases, tossing them carelessly onto the tarmac behind her.

Dusk shuffled closer to his mother, taking small, tentative steps in her direction as he fumbled with what else to say to her. "Mama-"

The trunk was spiked down in a violent shove of Blake's hand, the resulting slam more like a gunshot in the dark silence of the night. Dusk jumped, gasped at the sound, his hands bunched against his racing heart. When Blake moved, Dusk flinched, though it was only so Blake could glare at him over her shoulder. He felt its scalding anger like the heat of a thousand suns, and Dusk shrunk further into his already defeated slouch, his wide golden eyes flicking somewhere else, anywhere else.

Slowly, callously, silently, Blake turned back around, the inferno of her glare no longer fixed on her son. She collected her suitcases and began to walk around the car.

"Mama, I'm sorr-"

Instantly, Blake left her suitcases and strode over to tower above Dusk, her fury renewed.

" _Don't,"_ growled Blake, pointing a rigid finger down at Dusk as though it took all her strength not to strike him across the face right then and there, " _say it. Don't."_

Dusk's eyes flew to the ground immediately. He trembled under her detestable glare like an autumn leaf, and he had to bite his lower lip to keep himself from crying.

"You stay next to me. That is the _only thing you do._ You _will_ stay next to me _at all times, no matter what, all the time,_ " whispered Blake in a low hiss. _"Do you understand me?"_

Dusk blinked hard and long, swallowed the lump in his throat as he fought to keep the tears from his eyes. Blake knelt before him without a sound and grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look her directly in her eyes.

" _Dusk Wukong, do you understand me or not?"_ whispered Blake in a low growl. There was rage in her eyes as Dusk peered deep into them, that much was horrifyingly true. But there was something else as well, something Dusk may have understood as genuine worry had all her anger not been so focused upon him. This was not the mother who'd raised him, not this woman who tightly gripped his jaw and was jerking it harder, more viciously the longer he didn't respond. _"I said, do you understand me?"_

Dusk's terrified sniffs flew in and out of his nostrils in high, rapid huffs as his mother continued to clench his chin. "I… I…"

" _ **Just nod.**_ _"_

His composure hung like torn tatters in the wind, and Dusk nodded frantically, tears rolling down his cheeks.

" _Don't cry. Don't you dare cry."_ Blake released Dusk's jaw with a subtle shove as she stood to her full height above him, a monolith of beautiful and terrible authority dressed in clothes as black as the night, itself. _"What are you going to do?"_

"St-St-tay b-bes-side… y-you…" Dusk managed through his soft weeping. "Stay b… b-beside you… no m-matter whu.. Wh-what…"

"Don't cry."

Dusk shook his head pitifully. "I'm suh… I'm s-so sorry… mama…"

"Don't talk. I don't want to hear you right now," said Blake in a cold monotone, breaking from Dusk as she returned to her suitcases. She walked around the corner of the car in the direction of the cargo Bullhead. Dusk scrambled to keep up with her.

As they approached, the engines roared to life. Dusk winced as his hands flew to his kitten ears, stunned by the sudden explosion of noise. He probably shouldn't have been surprised when Blake continued walking forward without halting to ask if he was alright. It should have been obvious how her anger was greater than anything he'd ever experienced before. But she'd always cared whenever he fell from his bike or was scared from a really bad thunderstorm outside. She'd always cared.

Then, Blake stopped. Dusk's spirits alighted for the briefest of moments, but sank just as fast. His mother glared at him for a second, another of unseen emotion flashing-

 _(You shouldn't be here.)_

-across her face before she turned back around and continued walking like nothing happened. As if her son wasn't even there. Dusk's heart sank deeper into a black hole buried somewhere inside of his stomach, and he couldn't think. She hated him. She completely and utterly hated him.

Dusk's composure crumbled completely, and he fell to his knees on the tarmac, cradling his head and rocking back and forth. His lungs could never hold enough air and it left him gasping and gulping with each tearful breath he took. If he had been weeping or crying or screaming, Dusk couldn't tell over the roar of the Bullhead's engines, nor would he have cared to notice. Regret couldn't properly describe the depth of his sorrows in that one horrible, eternal moment of complete and utter solitude. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go somewhere, anywhere but here and forget that his mother hated him with all her being. He wished he could get the image of her glare, her complete lack of love or sympathy towards him from his mind. Wipe it forever from his memory.

And then, just before Dusk's sorrows could consume him completely, he felt himself enclosed in a familiar embrace and lifted into the air as carefully as though he were a newborn child.

Blake snaked an arm around Dusk to better carry him against her shoulder, holding Dusk's ear to her lips as she whispered, "I said don't cry."

Dusk wrapped his arms around Blake's neck instantly and wept against her shoulder.

"Dusk, I said don't cry," whispered Blake again. There was no contempt in her voice, but a cold authority which still remained despite her apparent calm.

"I'm so sorry, mama," wept Dusk into Blake's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorr-"

" _I said quiet."_ Blake's anger returned with a growl, and Dusk fell silent with a terrified whimper. When he fell silent, Blake spoke no more.

Dusk reveled in the warm darkness of his mother's presence, clinging tightly to it as he felt her hand and fingers tracing through his golden hair. Dusk made sure to accept the gesture as her way of letting him know she still loved him, and didn't free himself from her shoulder even once to look where they were going. It was only when the loud growl of the engines diminished that Dusk noticed anything even remotely curious, and parted from Blake's shoulder to look about.

Boxes and locked containers filled the interior of the cargo ship to the brim. Brief curiosity allowed him to wonder what exactly might have been in all of those cases and boxes. Then Blake lowered herself to the ground, and dropped Dusk to his feet.

"Mama…?" whispered Dusk.

"Sit down. I've got to talk to the pilot," was all Blake said before standing again and turning to leave. "I'll be right back. Don't you dare go anywhere."

"I won't," said Dusk, though he wasn't sure his mother had heard it before going on past him out the ramp and out of sight. His words still lingered in his mouth like a foul-tasting snack, tainting his tongue as he removed his backpack and slumped into one of the few passenger seats to buckle in. The tears and overwhelming despair were gone, but it didn't help it had made Dusk even more tired than he already was. Had it been two days since he'd last slept? Three? He couldn't remember, especially with his mind working at half its proper speed.

All this thinking clipped away at Dusk's will to remain awake, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Moments when he thought he'd slipped away from consciousness but wasn't entirely sure, sleep that lasted as long as the increments between blinks.

Then, Dusk heard footsteps. Glancing wearily to his side, he saw Blake striding towards him.

"Mama?" asked Dusk. She didn't answer him; ignored him like before. "Mama, what's-?"

"Don't talk," said Blake, fast and cold. She didn't even look at Dusk as she sat in the seat beside him and strapped herself in. "I'm in no mood to speak with you right now."

Dusk swallowed hard and loud. He trained his eyes to his fists bunched tightly in his lap and trembled silently. The latent, simmering anger from before was there again, in Blake's voice, and Dusk didn't dare utter so much as a peep. Not while the cargo door lifted shut. Not while the Bullhead lurched from under him as they took off into the night sky.

Not even while the Umbra Valley mountain range, a sight he'd known his entire life, rushed past the opposite window in a blur of jagged cliffs.

The whole time, Dusk sat in the excruciating silence between himself and his mother with visible discomfort in his every fidget and twitch.

Maybe, Dusk thought with a grimace, this was a mistake.

xXx

Sun didn't think much of the lack of Blake's familiar warmth when he woke up the next morning. It wasn't the first time he'd awoken without the sight of Blake in bed beside him. _Probably making something for breakfast,_ Sun thought, curling deeper into the covers as he allowed himself a few more precious moments of sleep. Blake always woke him if he was still sleeping by the time she finished making breakfast. He'd let her do her job, and he'd grab some more well-needed sleep.

He woke up an hour later. Sun didn't smell any food in the air.

He rolled across the bed to the bedside clock and checked the time. It was almost 11:30 in the morning.

"Babe?" Sun groaned, wiping his eyes as he sat upright in bed. "Blake?"

No answer. The house was completely silent.

Sun swung his legs over the edge and stood to walk around the room, putting on a pair of boxers before going to check the bathroom. No sign of her having done anything in the bathroom that morning; all the faucets still dry from a night's lack of use.

Sun awakened at a much faster rate as he went through rest of the lower part of the house. The kitchen was untouched. The living room was silent. Blake wasn't down here.

"Blake?" Sun's heart was beginning to pound, but he told himself it was just because he was racing up the stairs to check the kids' rooms. "Blake are you-?"

Then something else hit him. A possibility.

No, she wouldn't…

She didn't…

… Did she?

As Sun remained frozen midway up the stairs, the soft creak of a door whispered through the silent house. Dawn peeked out from around the opening rubbing her eyes as she saw only her dad's head breaching the upper floor from the stairs. "Papa…?"

Sun snapped back to attention as he heard his daughter's bleary voice. "O-Oh! Sorry, sweetie, I'm just…"

"What's wrong, papa?"

Sun hesitated a moment, then asked, "You haven't seen your mother this morning, have you? Didn't talk to you last night or anything?"

Dawn's expression crinkled with groggy confusion, then she slowly shook her head. "... No…? Why?"

"Oh, uh, no reason," answered Sun distractedly.

"Papa," said Dawn, "is something wrong?"

"No, nothing, just…" Sun lifted a hand in a delayed gesture, then pointed a finger at Dawn as he skipped down the stairs and said, "Wake up your little brother and ask him if he's seen mommy this morning, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Dawn called down after him.

"Checking something!" was all Sun answered with before jogging back into his room and stopping at a dressing cabinet. He rummaged in and around the collection of jewlery, old garage door openers, and dust-covered trinkets.

Both his and Blake's car keys were gone.

"No, Belle…"

Sun dashed to the closet in a flash, his heart pounding beneath his chest as he slapped the switch to open their secret armory. The back wall parted with a mechanical hiss and parted, unfolding itself as his Huntsmen gear offered itself to him and Blake's side…

… was empty.

Sun's heart sank. He shook his head slowly, leaning against the closet wall to support himself as he stared in stunned disbelief at the empty weapon's rack.

"No, Belle…" Sun clenched his eyes as he rested his forehead in the crook of his arm, pressing it there once, then slamming it against the wall. He grit his teeth, pulled away from the wall and struck it with his bare fist.

" _Dammit, Blake!"_ Sun hissed to himself. He grit his jaw and struck it once, twice, three more times. After the third, Sun reared for a fourth blow, lost his anger to his sorrow and fell with both hands to lean against the wall. He shook his head back and forth again, knowing he was helpless to do anything else. Knowing Blake, Sun figured she'd been preparing to go for quite some time now and chose that night to do so. After he'd already had a couple drinks and was pleasantly exhausted from their lovemaking.

She knew him, that much was clear. Knew him way too damn well, and Sun could only laugh pitifully as he accepted this bitter truth. "Damn it, Belle…"

" _Papa…?"_ Dawn's voice came from atop the stairs.

Sun knew by her tone that Dawn knew something wasn't right, and shook his head with a sigh. "Yes, sweetie? What is it?"

" _Can you come up here, please?"_ asked Dawn, a tentative fear clear in her voice as she followed with, _"I don't think Dusk's in his room…"_

Sun's heart skipped a beat, his eyes widening. "What'd you say, Dawn?"

" _Papa, I don't think Dusk's in his room!"_

A horrible moment of stillness blanketed the house.

Dusk wasn't in his room.

 _No._

Sun was out of his room and running up the stairs in a single, cold heartbeat.

 _Oh God, no._

Dawn was there, holding Mr. Stripes tight against the chest of her nightgown as she pointed into Dusk's open door. Sun said nothing to assuage his daughter's fear as he passed her and looked into his son's bedroom. Sun couldn't blink, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All he could do was stare into the room as he corroborated what Dawn had already told him.

Dusk's bed was indeed empty.

"Papa…?" murmured Dawn as she walked beside Sun and tugged softly at his boxers. "Papa, what's wrong? Where's Dusk?"

The tugs managed to bring Sun back and he whipped down to meet the terrified gaze of his daughter.

"Where's mama?" asked Dawn.

Time froze for Sun, or so it seemed to him. In a fraction of a moment, he was completely devoid of answers to give to his daughter. Blake was gone, and Dusk was very likely with her. But in that same moment, Sun knew what he had to do next, and he brushed past Dawn as he made his way down the stairs in a rush.

"Papa!" Dawn cried after him.

"Get dressed now!" Sun yelled over his shoulder.

"What for?"

" _Just do it!"_ replied Sun, then ran into his room and spoke no more. Very quickly, he donned a spare pair of pants and an exercise shirt before swiping his scroll from his bedside charger. He found Blake's number and called it in a flash, waited anxiously for the dial tone to end and Blake to respond.

"Hey-"

"Blake, where the hell-"

"-you've reached Blake's number. Sorry I couldn't pick up right now, I'm probably doing something more worth my time at the moment so I can make time for you! Leave a message at the tone and-"

Sun slammed the hang-up button with a frustrated breath and jammed the phone into his pocket. "Goddamn it, Blake…"

Then, in that exact same moment, another thought struck Sun. Another option. His phone was out in his hand again in a quick flourish, his thumb scrolling through his contacts before finding the one he wanted and pressed it. The dial tone played out in low robotic drones, each one making Sun fidget more and more until-

"Sun?" asked Weiss from the other end of the call. "What's-"

"Weiss, where did Blake go?" asked Sun in a low voice. "I know she told you. Where did she go?"

A moment's hesitation, then Weiss sighed. "We told her to tell you, but she wouldn't listen, Sun, I'm-"

"Weiss, answer the question! Where did she go?!" shouted Sun, startling Dawn as she peered into the bedroom from around the doorway. She also happened to be wearing the most basic exercise clothes she could find, a black tank-top and baggy white pants. Sun shot a glance at Dawn as she flinched, then turned back to the conversation. "Hello?!"

"Sun, you know where Blake went."

Sun cursed beneath his breath, holding his forehead in his hand. "Oh God, no…"

"I am so, so sorry Sun. The rest of us told her to let you know, but…" Weiss struggled with her words, fumbling over what to say to possibly make him any less upset. "... You know how stubborn she is, Sun."

"So she's heading to the White Fang?" said Sun sharply into the phone.

"Yes, Sun, she is," answered Weiss.

"She told me you all couldn't help her. That there was no way for her to get over there without your help."

"To be fair," stated Weiss, "I also thought the same thing after we talked. But then Ruby gave her the contact of some Nomad smuggler who could get her there and back, and…"

Weiss didn't bother to finish her sentence when she heard Sun scoff in horrified disbelief.

"Oh my God, he's going to the White fucking Fang," muttered Sun as he paced back and forth around his room.

Weiss hesitated for a moment. "Sun, what are you talking about? Blake's going to Adam's funeral-"

" _Dusk is with her, Weiss,_ " Sun announced, stopping in the middle of his room. He ran a hand through his wild shock of blonde hair and repeated himself louder, his eyes clenched shut in pain. "Weiss, _Dusk went with her when she left._ "

"Wait. _What?_ " Weiss paused for a moment of horrified bewilderment. When Sun said nothing to fill the silence, Weiss asked, "Sun, _how do you know he's gone?_ "

"His room's empty," answered Sun, remembering to breathe as he collapsed to sit on the edge of his bed. "He wasn't in his bed and both car keys are missing. He's not here."

Sun's words lingered in the air as he lowered his hand from his eyes and met his daughter's terrified gaze. He could see she wanted him to let her know what he'd said wasn't true. That Blake and Dusk had just gone to the grocery store together and would be back in an hour or two. But those words were never uttered, and when Sun could no longer think of anything else to say to console her, he turned away from her.

"Oh dear God…" whispered Weiss. He could hear her words filtered by the fingers she pressed against her mouth. "Oh God, Dusk…"

Sun shook his head again, clenched his jaw tight as he felt about to burst with some kind of emotion; fear, anger, humiliation, sorrow, anything; at any second. "I can't believe she did this… I _cannot_ believe she did this _again_ …"

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Sun. _Do not go anywhere._ I'm coming over right now," said Weiss.

Before she could hang up, Sun asked, "Weiss, how long is Blake supposed to be out?"

A pause as Weiss hesitated. The pit in Sun's stomach grew exponentially. "Weiss, _how long is Blake supposed to be-_ "

"Three days," answered Weiss, her voice trembling. "Three days, Sun. She said she'd be back in three days."

Sun stood and paced around the room again. "Holy…"

"Sun…" tried Weiss, "Sun, I am so sorry-"

"Just get over here," said Sun in a cold rumble of hidden anger before ending with call with the push of a button. He walked over to a nearby dresser and hunched over it with both hands pressed against the surface.

"Papa…?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Sun could see the tears running freely down Dawn's red cheeks, Mr. Stripes held tight against her little chest. His heart grew heavy and his blood turned cold at the sight, and it was all he could do to keep himself from crying with her.

"Where's mama and Dusk?" asked Dawn through her ragged breaths heavy with the precursor of crying. "Where did they go?"

xXx

 _(There was a threshold that had been crossed. Dusk could tell something was irreversibly changed in the world that he'd never had to worry about. Once, the truths he could 'see' were small and contained. Fish swimming in a transparent fishbowl.)_

 _(This was no mere fishbowl. Somewhere along the line, the fishbowl had been replaced by an entire ocean.)_

 _(And he was drowning in it.)_

 _(Dusk was tossed about the limitless cosmos of his own 'sight', falling helplessly deeper and deeper into things he had no way of keeping his perception out from. It was as though he were flying above an entire planet of black holes, escaping the pull of one only to be then dragged down into another some ways away. An entire world dense and dark as the cosmos, itself.)_

 _(And there were so many secrets in the dark places between the very few lights scattered across the surface. Secrets ancient and powerful no one had yet unearthed that Dusk had no hope of ever comprehending.)_

 _(All he could do was watch the dark world spin beneath him. Watch as his home he'd always known diminish off into the horizon while dark lands swirled below in all their unknownities.)_

 _(Then, without warning-)_

"Dusk."

-Dusk awoke with a start. His heart beating beneath his chest, his panting on his tongue as he slowly regained his bearings. The cargo hold of the smuggler's Bullhead. The seatbelt. His backpack beside him.

Blake's hand clasping his leg.

Dusk blinked, _feline eyes becoming human again._ He glanced up and saw his mother watching him with extremely reserved concern, showing just enough to let Dusk know she was worried without breaking her stern demeanor. He could see it in her face. He could see it-

 _(Why can't you sleep? Is it still bothering you?)_

-as reality slowly closed back around him.

Blearily, Dusk lifted a small fist to rub his tired eyes. He could feel the thin sheen of sweat accumulating while he dreamed, could feel the dark bags hanging beneath his eyelids. "Did I fall asleep?"

Blake's hand squeezed Dusk's leg gently. "You were nodding in and out."

Dusk's chin dipped, looking forlornly at the cargo hold's cold, metal floor.

"Did you, you know… get any rest?" asked Blake.

Dusk said nothing as he blinked slowly and shook his head. He felt as if he _had_ slept, but he'd gotten no respite from his insomnia yet again. Tortuous. This was completely tortuous. Sleep without sleep.

Silence for a few minutes, then Blake's hand softly cupped Dusk's cheek and shifted his chin to look at her. She leaned in close, her golden eyes skirting in and around his face. As usual, Blake found nothing out of the ordinary, and parted with only a caring caress of his cheek, a sad glint in her eyes.

"I'll be fine, mama. I promise," said Dusk.

"You're not okay," said Blake. "Don't lie to me."

 _(Oh, THAT'S rich. Coming from the one who lied to her family for two whole weeks. The same woman who left her home in the middle of the night without telling anyone you were leaving. God, why am I like this?)_

" _I guess it runs in the family, huh?"_ said Dusk.

Blake flinched, both in anger and in shock, from her son's low reply. " _Excuse me?_ "

Dusk snapped to, realizing what he'd said far too late. He saw his mother's narrowed eyes and breathed a low, tired sigh. Had he actually _said_ that? Why did he say that? "I'm sorry, mama. I… I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry, I'm…"

Blake felt her scolding rising up hot and unrelenting. But seeing Dusk cradle his head in his hands, trembling as he shook his head violently back and forth, she knew now was not the time to get mad at him. Blake swallowed her angry words, but still eyed Dusk with confusion. He'd said that with such malice, with such a disdain so directly aimed at her that it sent a shiver down her spine.

"It's fine, just…" Blake turned away from Dusk. "Just don't lie to me when I know you're not okay. I'm your mother."

"I'm sorry, mama," mumbled Dusk, wiping away a patch of hazy exhaustion from his glistening eyes. Blake didn't reply, and silence overcame the cargo hold again. The smuggler flew on without any concern, focusing solely on the journey across the eastern sea.

xXx

Blake gripped Dusk's thigh again and his head snapped up. He glanced down at his mother's graceful hand clenching his black cargo shorts. Her thumb stroked his pant leg. He reached down and held onto it, rubbing it in his fingers.

"I tried falling asleep again, didn't I?" asked Dusk in a murmur. He looked up at his mother. She nodded mournfully as she rubbed his hand again.

"Still nothing?" asked Blake.

Dusk was the one who shook his head this time. Blake turned away and rubbed her eyes with an exhausted scoff. "God damn it…"

"It's fine, mama-"

"No, Dusk, it's not," said Blake, still facing away from Dusk. "It is not okay. You have no idea how not okay this is. How not okay _you_ are."

Dusk's heart turned heavy. She was right. He _didn't_ have any idea how not okay he was. It entered his mind again, the thought that maybe this wasn't such a great idea in the first place.

 _(My baby boy. My precious little son. Why did it have to be him? Why did he have to come along?)_

"I'm sorry, mama…"

"Stop saying that," said Blake.

No one spoke for a longer amount of time than before. After a while, Dusk took out his book, _"To Kill A Mockingbird,"_ opened to his place in the novel, and began to read.

But he couldn't concentrate. For the life of him, the story kept on escaping his grasp, and he backtracked multiple times to try and regain his place. His eyelids bore the weight of the world as he fought to keep them open. Just long enough to read this one page at least, he kept telling himself. Just this one paragraph. Just this one sentence.

Then, the words blurred. Began to shiver and shift and distort in ways familiar and yet, beyond his grasp to decipher. The symbols were jumbled and blotched into dark, convoluted inkstains. His eyes fluttered, his eyelids too tired to hold themselves up. Without warning, the letters slithered down one by one in a rainfall of acrylic.

Dusk's eyelids fluttered, his eyes rolling into his head in a flash of lucidity.

He didn't immediately think it strange when he glanced back at the page and found he could suddenly discern the symbols as words once more. Immediately, Dusk read what he could before he could lose it again.

" _Reading's dumb," grumbled Blake. The argument was hardly even a protest. More like a forceful statement like a stop sign placed in front of you._

 _To be fair, to Adam, Blake looked like she was doing a rather good impression of a stop sign. She had the stubbornness of one, that was for sure. But there was also something forced, resigned and defeated. He knew she was only being what his master called "aloof," that she was just putting up a guard- feigning displeasure. What Blake wanted was to be alone._

 _Well, thought Adam, too bad. He offered the book to her again. "C'mon, Blake. I know you like to read! I've seen you do it before all on your own! I know it can make you feel better!"_

 _Blake glowered at Adam with a scrutinizing scowl, but curled her knees deeper against her chest. "I don't want to. I'm not gonna read no stupid book."_

 _Adam lifted a brow at Blake. "Now you sound like Beatty, you know that?"_

 _Blake gave something akin to a low mumble and looked away from Adam, burying herself deeper behind her knees._

" _It_ is _Beatty, isn't it?" Adam sighed, running a hand through his shock of red hair. "What'd he do this time?"_

 _Blake hesitated, then said in a low mumble, "He called me a weird little worm…"_

 _Adam sat beside Blake, scootching himself along the wall of Blake's bedroom to bump her shoulder. "And why'd he call you that?"_

" _Because Miss McClellan called me a bookworm," mumbled Blake, sniffling as she wiped away budding tears. "Beatty and his friends heard and started calling me a weird little worm on the playground, and I just…"_

" _And that's why you haven't read in days?" asked Adam._

 _Blake nodded._

" _You know they told me you're behind with your assigned reading."_

" _Yeah…"_

" _You know what I told them?"_

 _Blake sniffled, lifting her head to peer sideways at Adam. "What?"_

" _I told them, 'You've got the wrong girl. No way Blake Belladonna doesn't read. No way, no how.'"_

 _Blake smiled ever-so-slightly. "You didn't tell them that, Adam."_

" _Damn right, I told them that. Pinkie promise, I did." Adam held up his pinkie for Blake to see, then grinned again as he bumped her shoulder with the heel of his palm. "Because you're smart, Blake. I_ _ **know**_ _you're smart. You read more than me for God's sake and I'm_ _ **older**_ _than you! I don't forget when someone shows me up like that, no way."_

 _Blake giggled, her posture relaxing a bit. When she finished, Adam offered the book to her one more time._

" _Come on," he said. "The Blake I know doesn't back down from a good book no matter what."_

 _Blake looked at the book, then at Adam, and frowned. "But… Beatty-"_

" _Beatty," interrupted Adam, "is a bully. He and all his little cronies are failing Miss McClellan's class and they're just sour a girl is one-upping them." Adam grinned again, then ruffled Blake's cat ears playfully. "I'd expect nothing less from my little genius."_

 _(My little genius?)_

 _Blake squeaked in playful delight, swatting at Adam's hand as she tried to straighten what he'd messed up. She was blushing now, her distress slowly washing from her glowing red cheeks._

" _Tell you what," said Adam as he flicked the paperback in her direction, "You and I can read this together tonight, then tomorrow_ _ **you**_ _will go to Miss McClellan and tell her what you just told me."_

" _But Adam, I-"_

" _But nothing. I'm not gonna have some little punk scare you away from making yourself smarter. That's_ _ **their**_ _loss if they're too stupid to fix their own problems._ _ **You**_ _are not stupid." Adam poked Blake's forehead with a brotherly smile. "I'm not gonna let them stop this from growing, you understand?_ _ **This**_ _is the brain of a girl that's gonna change the world someday. And that brain ain't gonna grow if you don't learn because some bullies called you names."_

 _Blake beamed as she nodded._

" _So what're you gonna do tomorrow?"_

" _Tell on Beatty to Miss McClellan," answered Blake._

" _Why?"_

" _Because Ada-" Blake paused for a moment, then smiled bright as she said, "Because_ _ **big brother**_ _told me I needed to be smart!"_

 _Adam threw his head back in laughter, a merry sound that lifted Blake's spirits to the heavens. It was a truly wonderful laugh, one she wouldn't ever forget. His arm hooked around Blake's neck as Adam brought her in for vigorous noogie. "Not because you_ _ **need**_ _to be smart, Blake, because you_ _ **are**_ _smart!" The noogie ended, and Adam gave Blake a proud pat on her shoulder. "Smartest kid I know."_

 _Without warning, Blake wrapped her arms around Adam's neck and gave him a chaste peck on his cheek. "Thanks, big bro."_

" _Aw, get offa me, runt." Adam squirmed playfully for Blake to let go, which she did. With the back of his fist, he rapped one knock of his knuckle against her forehead for good measure. "Wanna catch up on the book now?"_

" _Yea."_

 _Blake clambered up from the floor to her bed in a flash as Adam joined her with a soft huff. Pulling out the book, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder so she could rest against his chest while they both tried to read together._

 _That was when everything lurched forward, and Adam dropped the book with a loud-_

 _*WHAP*_

Dusk's chin snapped up as the book hit the cargo floor. His fingers were still held out before himself, holding the ghost of a book Blake was reaching down to pick up before it could slide off.

"Dusk, what are you…?" began Blake, though halted as she turned and saw her son's all-too-familiar lost expression. "Dusk? Baby?"

 _Dusk's slitted eyes disappeared with a blink,_ as did his stupefied state. "What?" He turned and saw Blake holding his dropped book. "Oh. Sorry. I was trying to read and I kinda… nodded off…"

Blake glanced down at the book then back to Dusk. "You can't read if you're sleep deprived, sweetie. It's impossible."

Dusk nodded. "Yeah, I know…"

Blake paused, then returned the book to Dusk. "Did you rest any?"

Dusk played with the book absently in his little hands, flipping the pages against his fingers. "Just a little."

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

Dusk shook his head. "No."

Another moment of silence. The cargo hold was becoming crowded with them today.

"Did you," tried Blake, "have a dream or something?"

Dusk blinked, a flash of a grimace passing across his boyish face. "Yeah. A weird one."

"What of?"

Dusk shrugged. "Reading a book." _It wasn't a lie…_

Blake chuckled softly to herself. She reached over and took the book into her hands, flipped through it with a smile. "This is a good book."

"You've read it before?" asked Dusk, though he already knew she had from the dream. It was the same book. _"To Kill A Mockingbird"_

She waved it before Dusk with a smile. "My original copy. Assigned reading when I was about your age. It's good you're reading this, baby. Covers important things about Faunus history."

"About my age…" Dusk thought about this for a minute.

 _(-I will destroy everything you love-)_

"Yep. I was your age when I first read this with…" Blake's smile trailed off with her words, the natural flow of her statement dying with the name she couldn't speak.

"Mister Adam?"

Blake glanced at Dusk beside her. If Blake went the rest of her life never hearing her son say that name, it would have been a good life. One she would have preferred for both her children.

But here he was, looking at her with the same golden eyes she'd woken up with her entire life. Pleading softly. _Please,_ they asked, _Please let me know more…_

And so, with a sigh, Blake nodded her head.

"Yes, Dusk," said Blake. "With… Adam."

Dusk had to pause for a moment, then asked, "Did he… like that book?"

Blake huffed a small chuckle. "I still remember when it was his favorite."

"Is it his book?"

"Yes. He was a year or two older than me. He gave me his copy from when he took the class." Blake was quiet for a moment, lost in pleasant nostalgia. Then, she flashed a smile and waved Dusk towards her. Dusk leaned in, allowing his mother's arm to snake around his shoulder as she opened the book before them both. She pointed at the handwriting on the fringes and sides of each of the pages, little notes scribbled in and around paragraphs and sentences. "Most of these notes are his. He gave it to me to make it a bit easier."

Dusk's eyes went wide with wonder. "You mean Mister _Adam_ wrote these?"

"Mmhm." Blake smiled warmly at her son's amazed expression and shrugged. "I mean, not _all of them_. Some of them are mine, you can tell the difference in the handwriting, see?" Blake pointed at a small fluid string of fine squiggles constituting a quick note about Jeb beginning working for Mrs. Dubose in the corner of the paragraph. "That's mine." Then her finger trailed off to another sentence written in cracked, rigid letters squishing further into itself as though its author ran out of space for his thoughts. "And that's Adam's."

"Wow…" Dusk laughed in amazement. "Mama was as old as I was when she wrote these…"

"Mmhm." Blake nudged her head against her son's. "I still remember the first time I read this book. Changed my life."

"Mister Adam wrote good notes, too," said Dusk as he turned up to his mother and nodded. "His handwriting's messy but he helped me understand a few things I didn't really get at first."

Blake was unexpectedly speechless for a moment. Adam had helped her son read a book she loved? It wasn't far-fetched to digest the thought, after all, Adam had been the one to help her understand it as well, but… It was still so very… strange to consider…

"What, um…" Blake shook her head, trying to remember what it was she was going to ask. "Where are you right now? In the book, I mean."

"Uhhh," Dusk spared a quick glance back at the book. "Scout and Jeb are getting yelled at by Mrs. Dubose because she doesn't like the Faunus."

Blake chuckled warmly, nodded her head. "I remember Mrs. Dubose. You're getting to a really good part. Mind if I read it with you?"

Dusk nodded quaintly and settled into his mother's embrace while he continued to read. Blake was the perfect reading companion; never making any sound, never making any kinds of abrupt conversation in the middle of reading, only ever watching her son's eyes flicker across the page while he read at his own pace. She made no actions to prevent Dusk from nodding off as his head gradually dipped. Of course he wouldn't be able to stay awake if he tried to read right now, there was no way.

But Blake knew her son needed sleep more than anything else. For what he had gotten himself into, Dusk would need all the rest he could manage.

And so, as she slipped the book carefully from Dusk's hands to place aside, Blake allowed her son's weight to press against her while he slept without trouble. Blake's lips descended into his crown of golden curls and kissed him long and lovingly; cherishing his warmth, his scent, his presence while he finally relaxed in her arms.

"Why did you come, baby?" whispered Blake into Dusk's hair.

Her question remained unanswered for the rest of the plane ride.

xXx

 _("So you know who sent the message?" asked Blake.)_

 _("Yeah, I knew her, poor girl. One of my old friends back at the base before I left." Theodora shook her head slowly. "Glad she hasn't been hurt, good, but… God, it kills me knowing she's still there.")_

 _("Can she be trusted?")_

 _("Yeah. Yeah, she's still part of the First Guard.")_

 _(Blake pressed a hand to her chest and breathed. "Good, good.")_

 _("And she's not just part of the First Guard," continued Theodora as she flicked a copy of her decryption towards Blake. "They're regaining a fair amount of control back from Salem's plants in the organization thanks to what we did.")_

 _("Really?" Blake smiled uneasily, tucked a strand of wavy black hair behind her ear before taking Theodora's offered paper. "Oh, that's good. Good, good, good.")_

 _("Yeah, but because their numbers are smaller, it's a little bit harder for the First Guard to locate the final Disciples that remain." Theodora's expression was discomforted, grim. "Can't guarantee it'll be entirely safe if you stay in the camp for more than a day.")_

 _(Blake glanced up to Theodora. "They know I'm coming?")_

 _(Theodora shrugged. "It's a safe thing to assume. They_ _ **loathe**_ _you for stopping Salem._ _ **And**_ _most recently for helping me defect because of… you know…")_

 _(Blake nodded silently, turned back down to the paper and asked, "So what's your friend gonna do about it? Does she have any kind of plan?")_

 _(Theodora chuckled. "Yeah. Keep reading.")_

 _(Blake did, then her eyes grew wide. Theodora saw this and grinned a great, wild smile.)_

 _("No way…" whispered Blake.)_

 _("Yep." Theodora nodded and shrugged. "Looks like you aren't the only one who's mourned your Onii-Chan's demise in the entire world.")_

 _(Blake could have shot a glare at Theodora, but she was far too shocked from what she saw to think of anything else. Memories of her past returned for Dusk to see, burgeoning and flickering into his 'sight' to show-)_

There was a sudden shift in the cargo plane as Dusk blinked back to awareness.

Dusk turned his chin up just as his mother kissed his temple.

"Are we here?" asked Dusk, shifting from his mother's warm embrace to sit up. His nose felt stuffy, his sinuses tampered by a change in air pressure that answered his question before his mother could.

"Yes," Blake said. "We're here now."

Dusk rubbed at his eyes, the balls of his palms dragging up to soothe his temples to clear the haze of sleep still clinging to his thoughts. He felt the ghost of feelings and emotions that didn't belong to him linger. A regret he felt from memories he didn't possess. Happiness from events in a life beyond his own. Dusk knew his abilities were growing stronger with alarming speed, and it worried him.

When he'd awoken, he'd barely felt like himself.

Before Dusk could say anything, the pilot's voice spoke through the intercom. "Approaching destination soon, Missus B. Get ready just like we agreed and I'll do the rest."

Blake was silent, hesitating with a hint of worry. Dusk felt her hands on him clench protectively as if an instinctual reflex.

"You ready, Missus B?" the pilot asked.

"Alright…" Blake muttered to herself, then raised her voice when she knew she hadn't spoken loud enough. "Alright, I'm getting ready!"

Blake unclasped herself from her seatbelt and knelt before Dusk to undo his.

"Mama, where are we?" asked Dusk.

"Mistral. We're in Mistral."

Dusk's heart skipped a beat. He knew where Mistral was on the map hung up in his room.

"We crossed the ocean?" asked Dusk.

"To get to Mistral, yes." With the harness now unclasped, Blake took Dusk's shoulders and looked him dead in his eyes. Her arms held him completely still, and her gaze bore directly into Dusk in a way he couldn't part from. "Now listen to me. You're going to do _everything_ I tell you to do from here on out, do you understand?"

Dusk nodded fervently.

"You stay by my side no matter what happens. You're always going to be holding my hand right beside me and _you will not wander off, you will not get lost, you will not go anywhere or do or say anything without my explicit say-so._ " Blake shook his shoulders with a soft nudge. " _Do you understand me?_ "

"Yes, mama."

"This place is not safe. Not for me, and _most definitely_ not for you." Blake paused for a moment and clenched her jaw, inhaled sharply. She shook her head. "There are… people here who want to hurt me if given the chance. Maybe even kill me. And if they learn that you're my son…"

Dusk's blood went cold. _The Disciples._ His heart was pounding now, and he hoped his mother couldn't hear it's fearful metronome. "They might hurt me-?"

Blake's golden eyes burned with rage, and Dusk shuddered from his mother's terrifying growl. " _I'll kill them if they touch you. I'll kill anyone who so much as_ _ **looks**_ _to you the wrong way. I_ _ **will**_ _._ "

Dusk was silent. Blake's jaw unclenched, but her fury remained while she ran her fair hand along her son's cheek and brushed some golden curls from his eyes. "If anyone hurt you, I would never be able to live with myself. I'd never be able to look your father in the eye from now until the day I died knowing you were hurt under my care."

Blake then ran her other hand along Dusk's other cheek and cupped his face to look at her.

"Stay with me. That's all." Blake's eyes softened. "Nothing else unless I tell you to and _only_ if I tell you to. Understand?"

Dusk nodded again. She could feel him trembling beneath her grip even as he tried to keep himself strong. "Stay beside you, mama. Always stay beside you. No matter what."

"No matter what," repeated Blake. She leaned forward and kissed Dusk on his forehead, the touch lingering as she ran a protective hand through his hair as though his head were made of fine glass.

"I'm… I'm nervous, mama…"

Blake's lips parted, though he could feel them flatten just before she said in a low tone, "Too late for that, now. You're here, and we've gotta move. Get your things."

Dusk scrambled off his seat and stuffed his book into his backpack, zipped it up. Turning around, he watched Blake stride over to a large cargo box two heads taller than her. She pressed some hidden buttons on its side. There was a hiss of hydraulics, then the black box swung open on a hinge. Blake stepped inside and stroked the sides of the coffin-like compartment.

"There's hardly any room," she lamented.

"Huh?" asked Dusk, bustling over to his mother outside the compartment.

"Nothing." Blake's hand reached out behind herself at Dusk. "Give me your backpack."

"Why?"

Blake glared over her shoulder and Dusk quickly removed his backpack. She took it from him with a swipe and examined it in her hands, bounced it a few times. "Brought changes of clothes? Toiletries?"

"Just like when we camp out in the backyard," answered Dusk.

"For how many days?"

"Three."

Blake glanced down at Dusk with a stunned look on her face.

 _(How did he know it was going to be three days?)_

Dusk shrugged, rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "I just… guessed. Is it not enough, mama?"

"N-No, it's… it's fine. At least it's one less thing to worry about." Blake walked over to another seemingly inconspicuous box roughly the size of her car trunk and pressed a combination into a hidden side-panel. Another hiss of hydraulics, and it opened. Blake tossed Dusk's backpack in with her other two suitcases and slammed the box shut.

"What's gonna happen to our stuff?" asked Dusk.

"It's gonna go to the woman who first called me about Adam's death. She's one of the… _better_ members of the new White Fang and is an old friend of Miss Stella's." Blake walked over to another collection of boxes and got them to open. One of them contained a mirror and what appeared to be an entire barber's tool-kit of scissors, shavers, and combs.

Another contained strange masks that gave Dusk chills to look at.

 _(Hello, my darling…)_

Dusk felt fear stain the inside of his chest as he saw Grimm masks just like the one in his visions. They were all kinds of varying sizes, and there seemed to be a row of them-

 _(You and I are on the same side and you know it.)_

-in a size just perfect for children.

 _(You think they'll forget what you are?)_

Blake's hand descended from above Dusk, causing him to flinch in surprise. She removed a mask from the set and held it before herself with scrutinizing eyes. Each detail of it caused visible winces of pain to flash across her face. A curl of a snarl tugging at her lips. A twinge of-

 _(What you've done?)_

-regret in her eyes.

"What are these, mama?" asked Dusk with a small, fearful voice.

Blake flinched at Dusk. She was silent for a few moments, her eyes caught by her son's yearning gaze as she held the horrible mask-

 _(I did not want him to see this.)_

-then placed it back down from whence it came.

"Disguises," said Blake. She leaned over the box of masks and rocked softly in place. Dusk could see the anger in her hands as they clenched into fists, could see the disgust forcing her jaw to clench beneath her cheek. "Members of the White Fang wear them. And now… And now…"

"We have to wear them too," finished Dusk, looking up at Blake. "Don't we?"

Blake gripped the sides of the container so hard her knuckles turned white. Dusk reached for his mother's hand, but she growled low beneath her breath, " _You shouldn't have been here._ "

Dusk flinched as if his hand had been slapped away. Blake glowered in silence, her eyes hidden beneath a shroud of her midnight-black bangs. She shoved away from the box of masks and walked back to the barber set with the mirror. Dusk didn't follow, only remained by the masks in a silence that hung like a rainstorm.

Then, he heard the sound of shearing scissors, and turned as his mother sliced through her raven-black hair with callous ferocity.

"Mama!" Dusk bounded over to his mother, but halted by her side out of fear. Blake merely glanced at Dusk through her mirror then returned to her scissorwork.

"They don't know who you are," said Blake, keeping her eyes on herself while she cut through the last of her hair with a forceful flourish. "But they'll spot me immediately."

Blake held the bundle of her luscious locks now roughly severed. Dusk saw his mother's messy work and frowned. He was embarrassed to admit it, but he'd always loved his mother's hair. The smell and feel of it as he lost himself in its waves of pitch black when he snuck into his parents' bed and burrowed flush against her.

Now it was gone. The woman who stood before him with her pixied mess of unruly short-black hair turned back and forth in the mirror, ran her free hand through the sheared locks without a concern or care in the world. It frightened Dusk how easily his mother discarded something he'd loved his entire life.

"Couldn't you have just… you know… done something to hide your ears?" asked Dusk in a low mumble.

"Hmm?" Blake glanced down at Dusk. "No, that'd be even more suspicious than the masks. And they'd _definitely_ figure out it was me if I did something to hide my ears."

"Oh… Okay…"

"Why?"

Dusk opened his mouth to answer, but his eyes fell upon the cut hair and fell quiet. "N… Nothing…"

Blake followed her son's sorrowful gaze to the hair she held. A heavy warmth entrapped her heart. "Dusk…" said Blake with a sigh, "It's just hair. It'll grow back."

Dusk continued to fiddle with his thumbs and didn't look up as he mumbled, "Okay…"

"Come on," said Blake as she stuffed her cut hair into a nearby wastebag and shoved that into a nearby fire extinguisher compartment. She shut the all the barber boxes she'd opened, then returned to her son standing beside the open box of Grimm masks and hesitated before taking two. One for herself. One for Dusk.

The pilot spoke again in the overhead speaker. "Descent in one minute! Make sure you lay the container down and lock yourself in by then!"

"Alright!" Blake called back after closing the box of masks. She moved behind the container and carefully laid it down as instructed. It opened with a hiss of hydraulics and a whirr of machinery.

Now, to Dusk, it really _did_ look like a coffin.

Blake laid herself down on her side in the container and waved for Dusk to join. He did, and Dusk was grateful to realize there was a rather comfortably padded interior. It was clearly designed for one person, but Dusk had always been a small boy and fit rather snugly into the space his mother left unfilled.

"It's gonna be tight and dark for a while," said Blake, looking directly into Dusk's eyes to further solidify her point.

Dusk's heart hammered beneath his chest as he nodded.

Blake reached out, grabbed the inside handle of the container, and slammed it shut. The slam and sudden silence startled Dusk, but when he could see his mother lying across from him, he began to calm.

"It's okay," whispered Blake. She reached over and stroked Dusk's cheek. "I'm here. No need to be scared."

"Where are we going? What's gonna happen to us?" asked Dusk.

Blake ran her hand across his soft cheek, shushing him gently before answering. "We're going to meet someone who's gonna take us to a very old friend of mine. We'll be staying with him for all these three days."

"Are we gonna be safe there?"

Blake paused, shook her head. "I don't know. Safer than if we stayed with the main camp. But I can't promise he doesn't have enemies of his own."

Silence overcame the small compartment. Blake's hand lingered on Dusk's cheek, her thumb occasionally stroking him with small, gentle circles.

"You shouldn't have come, baby," said Blake.

Dusk wept in his typically subdued fashion, his tears bursting forth after being withheld by will and force for too long.

"C'mere," whispered Blake.

She pulled Dusk flush against her while he wept softly in her embrace. Her lips descended to bury themselves in his mess of golden curls. With his kitten ears so close, Blake began to sing soft lullabies, whispering them into his hair while she tried to stave herself off from tears before he could fall asleep. He curled deep into her embrace, the feeling reminding Blake distinctly of when she carried him in her womb. His rest was variable to her actions, and as soon as she knew he was asleep she didn't dare move an inch.

Three days without rest took a toll all-too familiar to Blake. She knew her son would not recover his full strength in the coming days. Not in any possible way could that happen.

So she would let him sleep now. Now, while they were still high above the dangerous world she had grown up in. Had been vetted by, had been betrayed and backstabbed and left for dead more times than she could possibly remember at once.

While the plane began its descent down to the old world she once knew, Blake held her sleeping son in her arms and didn't move a muscle.

Because no matter what she did, Blake knew Dusk would not leave this place the same as how he came.

xXx

 _*THUMP*_

Dusk's eyes opened. In the coffin-like container he laid in, Dusk could see across from him-

 _A monster._

No eyes. Only slits in a mask he'd recognized on the man existing only in Dusk's worst visions, in terrible memories that didn't belong to him. He could see it clearly in the dark, and he opened his mouth to scream-

A hand flew to his mouth. Not his. He knew that hand.

" _Quiet,_ " hissed Blake. Her hand remained tight against Dusk's mouth as her black cat ears flicked atop her shortly-cropped black hair. Dusk also took a listen, his golden kitten ears picking up the diminishing sound of engines as they powered down.

 _(We're here.)_

Slowly, Blake's hand parted from Dusk's lips, tentative in its retreat, poised to fly back atop his mouth at the first sign of trouble. No such trouble came, and Dusk remained in a terrified silence. The cargo door of the Bullhead hissed open.

Dusk shut his eyes, then. He didn't want to see only the cramped darkness as movers and handlers shifted and shuffled across the ship's cargo hold. His eyes remained shut and didn't dare open.

Then, a mechanical sound like a small vehicle came to a stop just outside the container. There was a slight jostling beneath the cramped box, and before Dusk could do anything else, Blake's hand was clasped tight against his mouth again. Her fingers were pressed to her lips as the box was lifted up and moved with the vehicle outside of the plane.

Voices outside. Gruff and serious discourse between ordinary workers. Dusk could hear the stout voice of the smuggler through the ambient buzz of the other planes in and around the airfield.

"Another shipment of ore from Umbra Valley, as promised," Dusk heard the smuggler say. "Remember to be extra careful and double-check where each of those boxes are supposed to be going, alright? Don't want a mistake and send something, you know, _undesirable_ where it doesn't belong."

The person he was speaking to said something in agreement, but Dusk didn't bother to take note of it. The container and vehicle stopped to be lowered onto another surface. All motion ceased and the vehicle hummed quaintly out of earshot.

Blake's hand remained on Dusk's mouth regardless. Dusk knew his mother could feel his panic through his rapid breaths beneath her fingers.

"We're okay, baby," whispered Blake, bringing her other hand to stroke his cheek in soft, soothing caresses. "We're okay. It won't be much longer."

It wasn't too clear to Dusk whether or not his mother had told the truth about that, but whether minutes or hours later, the adding weights atop their container ceased. Blake lifted her head to listen through the silence. There was the sound of an affirmative call, then the entire floor lurched forward as the cargo trolley carried the contents of the smuggler's plane away.

"Okay," whispered Blake to no one. "Okay."

She lifted her hand from Dusk's lips, but he remained silent. He kept his eyes trained on the dark cushion he laid on, trying not to look directly at his mother and the mask she wore. It hurt him, because he knew-

 _(He's scared of me.)_

-she could see his discomfort towards it.

"Baby…"

Dusk's eyes flickered up, settling on the mask with a tiny wince. "Yes, mama?"

Blake opened her mouth, hesitated, then reached up to remove the mask by scratching at it with her fingers. It rolled and settled on its side, a parasite detached from its host. Lifeless and cold. Dusk saw the golden eyes of his mother red and puffy from tears shed rather recently, and he reflexively reached out to her with a small hand. "Mama…"

"This is only a disguise," said Blake. She met Dusk's gaze with a deathly cold seriousness, a pleading with an earnest he'd never seen before. As though she'd committed a crime and was now confessing. "I love you, sweetie. I want you to remember that."

Dusk could hear his heartbeat in his ears. "I know that, mama. Why…?"

"Because this mask doesn't mean anything to me. And it shouldn't mean anything to you, either. It's just a disguise and nothing more. I'm still your mama. And you're still my… you're still my little…" Blake fought to repress her tears, her face contorting as she dipped her head against the cushioned fabric to try and hide from Dusk's eyes. "... my little son."

Dusk didn't hesitate as he scrambled over to his mother to wrap his arms around her neck. Somehow, Blake didn't cry as she accepted her son's embrace and held him close against her. Neither said a word for an indeterminate amount of time.

Then, the movement of the trolley ceased.

Dusk blinked as Blake reached around-

 _(I don't want to do this. God, please, someone just take him home so I don't need to see this.)_

-and returned with the second Grimm mask. The one meant for him. Dusk wished he could say something to help her feel better. He wished he could let her know everything would be okay and that he would do what had to be done to make sure no one would recognize him as her son.

But in his heart he knew he was afraid of that mask, and knowing he had no choice but to wear it made his stomach churn. He'd hurt his sister when he saw through that mask in his 'sight'. To look through it with his own two eyes of flesh and blood… just thinking about it sent a shiver down his spine.

"This mask means nothing, Dusk," said Blake. "Remember that."

Dusk breathed with a trembling breath. "I know, mama."

"Say it."

"This mask means nothing."

"Why are we wearing it?"

"As a disguise. Nothing more."

Blake paused, a flash of-

 _(I am so sorry, baby.)_

-sorrow eclipsing her features. "I'm still your mother and you're still my son. No matter what, sweetie. Understand?"

Dusk nodded adamantly.

Blake moved the mask towards Dusk's face. Both hesitated, Dusk feeling a cold fear skitter across his heart as he glanced through the slits and Blake's hand betraying her will to place the mask on her son. It lasted for only a fleeting second, then Blake closed the distance, fitting the cowl onto the bridge of Dusk's nose.

Slowly, Dusk's eyes opened. Nothing spectacular or cataclysmic happened as Dusk had half-feared. There was only recognition-

 _(For a moment there, I was gonna call you kitten and just leave it at that!)_

-as Dusk saw his mother lying across from him through the mask's slits.

"You alright?" asked Blake in a soft voice.

Dusk nodded. "It's kinda cold…"

Blake's chuckle was softly familiar, but weighed on her uncomfortably as it trailed off into quiet. "I thought the same the first time I wore it, too…"

 _(God, I put that mask on him. He's here because of me.)_

Dusk reached out to hold his mother's hand again. "Mama…"

A familiar whirr of machinery hummed beside the trolley as weight was alleviated from atop the container with a softly audible creak. They were removing the cargo above Blake and Dusk and it was only a matter of time before it was their turn to be moved.

Blake took her son's hand and held it firm. "Stay quiet, alright?"

Dusk nodded wordlessly. He felt Blake's thumb stroke his hand again, a way of saying 'very good, baby' without speaking. One by one the containers were removed. A few minutes later, the lifter returned and picked up their container with a lurch of movement. Blake stroked Dusk's hand again, then reached over to her discarded mask to place again onto her face.

 _(Almost there, baby.)_

They were carried off somewhere where the ambience of the airfield dissipated. Sound and movement echoed all around them. Somewhere spacious, Dusk thought. Maybe some kind of hanger or something. The lifter halted, arranged itself, then placed the container down before humming off into the distance. Blake's grip on Dusk's hand softened.

For a long while, nothing at all happened. There was no sound to be heard, save for the breathing of Dusk and his mother as they laid there in the darkness, waiting. Waiting for something, anything to happen. Dusk almost forgot what other noises sounded like as he spent all that time hearing nothing but the gentle inhale and exhale of lungs and nostrils.

It surprised him quite a bit when the distinct sound of footsteps grew louder and louder. Again, Blake's hand pressed securely against Dusk's mouth as she pressed an index to her own. Her breathing softened to the point Dusk could barely hear it above the nervous, trembling whispers of his own.

Then, there were a series of knocks against the container's surface. Dusk knew even before-

 _(CONTAINER BLAKE BELLADONNA DAMN SMUGGLER PLEASE LET THIS BE THE RIGHT ONE)_

-his 'sight' revealed the thoughts of the woman outside it was a coded knock. A 'secret password' like the ones his sister would make up to keep him out of their pillow forts.

He wanted to tell his mother the person outside was indeed their 'informant,' but her hand was still pressed against his mouth. Blake's figure relaxed, shifted accordingly in the small container space like a spring coiled and ready to release at the smallest provocation. With a slow, relaxed breath, Blake lifted her hand and rapped her knuckle in a reply against the container roof.

A moment of silence.

Then-

 _(OH THANK GOD THIS IS THE RIGHT ONE)_

-the familiar sound of buttons being pressed on the secret compartment lock. There was a hiss and a whirr and the ceiling swung open for the first time in what seemed to Dusk like eons. While he lifted his hand to protect himself from the sudden light, he felt his mother's weight shift closer towards him. A protective countermeasure before the person outside could-

"Miss Belladonna?" asked a woman's voice in a careful whisper.

Dusk's eyes focused to the light and he could see a young woman a few years younger than Miss Stella standing outside their open container. She glanced down at them both, her golden blonde hair tied behind her head like a bird's tail of brilliant sunlight. Dusk could feel her eyes meet his even beneath their masks, and he knew hers were wide as saucers at the sight of him.

" _Who the hell is that?_ " asked the White Fang woman, pointing at Dusk.

Blake hauled herself from the container. " _An unwanted guest._ "

As Blake reached over to help Dusk up from the container, the woman interjected again. " _This was_ _ **not**_ _part of the original plan-!_ "

" _Enough! We don't have time for this!"_ Blake hissed directly into the woman's face. " _I'll explain later, but we need to get the fuck out of here. Now are you going to help him out or not?_ "

Reluctantly, the woman offered a hand to Dusk as he stepped over and out from the container.

" _Thank you,_ " said Dusk softly.

The woman couldn't help the soft twitch of a smile from the boy's politeness, then turned around to Blake. Clear disapproval was exchanged between the two, but lasted for only a moment before the woman said, " _Stay silent and follow me._ "

Blake tightly grabbed Dusk's hand just before following the woman through the hanger. He scrambled to keep pace with the two full-grown women as they weaved in and around the hallways with relative ease. He hated the pull of his arm whenever he happened to dawdle just a little too long on a turn, but voiced no complaints. He was too shocked by the many people in the sparsely-populated hallways all wearing Grimm masks just like himself to utter so much as a peep.

Eventually, they made a turn around a corner and came into what seemed to be the main entrance to this particular hangar building. The woman in front of his mother stopped abruptly.

" _Shit…_ "

" _What?_ " asked Blake barely above a murmur.

" _Calm and quiet,_ " was all the woman said before straightening herself and walking forward. From behind the long legs of the two adults in front of him, Dusk couldn't see what caused the young woman so much worry right away, and so followed without a thought in the world. But the closer they got to the source, the more Dusk could feel something in the back of his head. No, in the very middle of his head. A throbbing, pulsing warning that caused Dusk to glance around his mother to see who the young woman in front was trying to be so casual around.

And then Dusk saw him.

It was brief, but Dusk saw the tall man walking in with an authority that gave him chills just to think about, much less continue observing with his own two eyes. Like everyone else he wore a Grimm mask, but on him it seemed to be more in place. Like it was an extension of his personage. All other details seemed trivial, only worthy of the most brief of notes such as his jet black hair combed slick behind his head, the blade holstered upon his hip, and the panther's tail swishing lazily behind him.

Danger pulsed from this man, radiated from his very being in a way Dusk had never known before. He was-

 _(THE TRAITOR. SHE MUST BE HERE. SHE MUST. SOMEWHERE.)_

-a black hole in Dusk's 'sight,' both an absence of self and too much of it. Like a demented-

 _(PAYBACK. TAKE EVERYTHING FROM HER. CONSUME HER. DESTROY EVERYTHING SHE LOVES.)_

-patchwork of assembled parts all belonging to the same wretched canvas which hewed them all together. And Dusk knew why the mask seemed so horribly familiar on the tall man in the dark trench coat. Why those words he saw sounded so terribly, horribly familiar...

Then, just when Dusk felt he'd looked for too long, he made sure to dip his eyes to his mother's moving feet.

The man's attention flicked to the young woman ahead of Blake. The young woman gave a polite and respectful nod, as did Blake. Dusk also gave a polite nod, making sure not to look at him directly. Dusk's heart slammed against his chest, fearing at any moment the man would whip around and cut them all to ribbons without a second thought.

But the man continued to walk, and so did Dusk. Before he knew it, the three of them were out in the parking lot and making their way over to a particularly old, beat up car. The woman removed her keys and clicked the doors to unlock. Blake opened the backdoor and Dusk scrambled in to buckle up. Unconsciously, he dipped his head lower beneath the seat, fearful the tall man would come back out and see him again.

The young woman slipped into the driver's seat, which Dusk noticed was on the wrong side of the car than he was used to. His mother slipped into the other and slammed the door shut. Finally, it was like a dam burst and conversations could now be had.

"What," said the young woman, shaking her head to get the most of her anger out in her words as possible, "in _the hell_ is _this kid doing here?!_ "

"I didn't have any other choice, alright?! I was just as angry as you are when I found out, believe me!" said Blake, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize. Dusk sunk deeper into the cheap fabric of the car seat, hoping sooner or later he'd disappear from the argument entirely.

"He _stowed away?!_ "

"Yes!"

The young woman whipped around to Dusk over her seat. Dusk didn't know what else to do except smile uneasily and wave. "Uh… heh, heh… hello, ma'am…"

The young woman shook her head in confusion, then her eyes went wide. "Don't tell me he's your-"

"He's my son," said Blake, breathing a long and tired sigh as she rubbed her eyes beneath her mask. "He's my youngest. He stowed away while I wasn't paying attention and I couldn't turn back."

The young woman fell back against her seat with a loud sigh. "Oh shit…"

Dusk continued to curl into himself in the ensuing silence. Then, the young woman ran a hand through her bangs, turned around to look at Dusk and asked, "What's your name, sweetie?"

She'd said 'sweetie' in that way teachers do when they meet a new student in their classroom. It made Dusk feel better knowing this woman liked him at least enough to not be callous. He leaned forward slightly in his seat but still kept his head low as he answered, "Dusk. My name's Dusk."

He offered a hand towards her, but she reached past it to take the mask from his face instead.

"Sorry. It just didn't look right on you," said the woman as she tossed it carelessly to the car floor beside Dusk. When she finished, she turned back to him with a subdued smile and graciously took his hand. "Hey Dusk. My name's Goldberry."

Dusk blushed from her smile, turned his chin slightly down as he murmured, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Goldberry…"

Goldberry chuckled low and soft. "You're lucky you're a cutie, Dusk. I might be a bit more angry, but you're just too polite."

"I already got mad at him," grumbled Blake, glancing over her shoulder at her son. "I'm still mad at him."

As Goldberry let go of Dusk's hand, he sunk back into the seat, nervous from his mother's obvious glare beneath her mask. He could see her shoulders relax when she saw him without his mask, though, and she-

 _(He looks so much better without that mask. Thank God.)_

-smiled gently before turning back around.

"Whelp," said Goldberry as she lifted her hands above her head in a long stretch, "you can get mad at him for the both of us. I gotta drive and get us the hell out of here."

Blake turned and looked out the window. "Alright. Let's go."

"With pleasure." Goldberry cranked the shift into drive with an audible clanking of old car parts. In no time at all, the three were on their way out of the parking lot.

Dusk, for whatever reason he couldn't fathom, took one last glance back towards the entrance of the airfield hanger. As they turned onto the road and drove off, he could have sworn he saw the tall man from before race out from the sliding double doors. Hurry in his step, and-

 _(THE BOY. THAT BOY. HE SAW ME. I KNOW HE SAW ME.)_

-fissures in his soul.

The man's head turned towards the exit of the parking lot. Dusk felt their eyes meet from the immeasurable amount of distance between himself and the tall man with the disturbingly fitting Grimm mask.

 _(IS HE LOOKING?)_

Goldberry turned onto the road. The tall man, the parking lot, as well as the hanger disappeared behind a column of dense foliage outside the airfield. Dusk slumped back into his seat, lungs sucking in air as though he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"Dusk?" Blake glanced around at her son the instant she heard his gulping breaths. "Baby, you alright?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," quipped Goldberry as she removed the cowl from her face. Underneath, a beautiful young woman with jade green eyes and white freckles sprinkled across her nose smiled bashfully at Blake. "We can take it off now. We should be good."

Without hesitation, Blake removed her own mask and threw it and Goldberry's down in the space by her feet. Blake turned back around to Dusk to ask him again, "Baby? You okay?"

Dusk opened his eyes to see the face of his mother and immediately calmed. After a deep breath and a long sigh, Dusk nodded his head. "I'm glad we're okay."

Goldberry laughed from the driver's seat. She was looking at him through her rear-view mirror. "I can relate with that, little buddy."

Blake smiled, beamed warm like Dusk always remembered her to, and rubbed her son's knee in soft, affectionate strokes. "I'm glad we're okay, too."

"Well, if everyone's done reminding each other how okay we are, settle in. This isn't gonna be a short ride," said Goldberry.

Dusk instinctively remembered his book at the mention of a long ride and sat up with a jolt. "My backpack-!"

"Is in the back, along with your mother's luggage," reassured Goldberry with a chuckle. "I was wondering why in the hell there was a little kid's camping backpack in there. Now I know."

"Oh…"

"Sorry, kiddo." Goldberry glanced an accusing eye over at Blake beside her. "Had I known he was coming along, I might have put it in the backseat with you…"

Blake glared back at Goldberry, but said nothing. Both women turned back to look out their respective windows and continued the drive in silence.

Dusk, not knowing much else to do, scooted closer to the dingy car window and propped his elbow up, resting his chin on the ball of his wrist. Outside, Dusk watched the land of Mistral blur past his window. All verdant green enshrouded by silver-blue mist as far as the eye could see. The Slumbering Continent, Dusk remembered it was called.

It wasn't long before Dusk felt the sleepiness of the overcast land enter behind his tired eyes, and before long, his eyelids fluttered shut.

xXx

"Who was that?"

"Dogen. One of Adam's waterboys."

"An apprentice?"

"If you want to call him that, sure. He's a zealot."

"God, was he searching for me?"

"That's probably a safe assumption, but I have no idea. He could be there for literally anything."

"You don't think… Adam…?"

"... I have no idea."

"Oh God…"

"Keep in mind, Dogen is in the minority now. He's one of the last of a dying breed in the White Fang. He hasn't done anything but oppose the return of the First Guard, and his voice is getting quieter and quieter now that Adam's dead."

"But still…"

"Yeah. But still."

"... What's… Grimbeorn doing in all of this…?"

The car brakes screeched faintly as the resulting lurch formally brought Dusk out from his half-sleep.

"Ask him for yourself," said Goldberry, turning off the ignition with a smile in her voice. "We're here."

Dusk's eyes fluttered open as he took in a sharp inhale. His hands rubbed at the bags under his eyes as the world came into focus. Still tired. Dusk wished he could go back to sleep.

"Dusk. Baby." Blake was tapping Dusk's leg.

With a groan, Dusk stretched, breaking the last of his inclinations to return to the dreamless sleep he'd so enjoyed. "Hey, mama."

"Sorry sweetie, but we're here now, alright?"

Dusk blinked. Out the front window, he could see the tall brown shapes of tree trunks bristling with bright green moss and lichen all along their sturdy girths. In between it all were wisps and strands of heavy blue mist dragging along through the forest halls. Everything seemed drenched in dew, as if morning was never slain by the rising light of the afternoon. It made Dusk feel chilly, but at the same time, serene. It was beautifully familiar in its haunting splendor. He thought of the forests back in Umbra Valley and found himself oddly at home.

"I'm gonna open the trunk and get your stuff," said Goldberry before opening the door and walking out. "Fair warning, it's a bit chilly out here. Just so you guys know."

"Alright," called Blake after Goldberry. She turned back to Dusk and asked, "Ready?"

"Uh-huh," said Dusk, rubbing underneath his eyes one last time before unbuckling and opening his door. "Let's go."

Outside, Goldberry was waiting with the luggage already removed from the trunk. She gestured to Blake her suitcases and to Dusk handed his backpack. Blake immediately opened one of her trunks and removed Gambol Shroud, strapping the magnetic holster to her back and her weapon with it.

"You know," said Goldberry, "You _should_ be safe here."

"I should also not be tailed around by one of Adam's lackeys while I'm here to bury him. My son should be at home with his father and his big sister right now, _sleeping_." Blake shot a glare at Goldberry. "Anything else I _should_ be made aware of?"

"You _should_ know," said Goldberry venomously, "Grimbeorn's untouchable to anyone in the White Fang. This is better than sacred ground you're standing on. I'd think you of all people would remember, _Miss Belladonna_."

Dusk flinched from the sound of his mother's maiden name. It wasn't often he heard it being used, but whenever it was, it wasn't part of any kind of good conversation.

"I do remember." Blake's fists clenched at her sides. "Question is, who the hell are you to be bringing this up?"

Goldberry smirked derisively, then lifted her hand for everyone to see. Her aquamarine eyes pulsed, and Dusk could see through his 'sight' her Aura resonate with the drifting water of the parking lot mist. A snaking sliver of silver fog weaved up to coalesce in her upturned palm. Dusk saw her Aura sharpen with a subtle wink of her eye, and the mist hardened instantly into a thin icicle with a point so sharp it made him shudder when he couldn't see its point.

"I'm his niece," said Goldberry. She crushed the icicle in her hand, the shards evaporating into mist from which it came. "And your escort."

Dusk couldn't help the amazed smile that grew across his lips. Goldberry saw it, too, and winked playfully at him. Blake didn't smile, only crossed her arms and continued to speculate the young Deer-Faunus with scrutiny. "You were the one who called me?"

"Yep," quipped Goldberry, her golden deer ears flicking atop her head of sunlight-yellow hair. "Shall we go, then?"

Dusk glanced up at his mother, but Blake remained quiet. After a few more silent moments of what Dusk knew was Blake analyzing Goldberry with her thoughts, she reached down to the open suitcase, laid it inside the car trunk, and shut it. She grabbed the handle of the other suitcase then said, "Alright. Let's go."

Goldberry nodded, then turned on her heel to walk down the trail leading into the woods beyond. Dusk tugged at his mother's pant leg and asked, "Mama, is this some kind of park?"

Blake smiled and took Dusk's hand as she followed Goldberry onto the path. "It's a very important historical place. Very old and very ancient. You'll see for yourself in a bit."

They entered into the woods, the crisp and cool scent of the damp foliage enveloping Dusk like walking into a flower shop.

Blake rubbed Dusk's hand affectionately. "I have a feeling you're gonna like it."

xXx

Dusk discovered that day his blood must have possessed an innate yearning for the forests of the world, because he felt right at home walking through the foreign wilderness. He'd read about forests besides the Forever Fall, but it hadn't truly struck him until today how strange it was to see green leaves on trees.

This forest and the Forever Fall both felt ancient, but this one was distinct to Dusk; felt _aged_ in a way the one in Umbra Valley did not. The trees were soft from the moisture of the air, but cracked and brittle with a seniority telling Dusk many decades had come and gone under the canopy of this forest. He wondered what secrets it held.

He wondered how many times in her childhood had his mother played in these woods.

Blake glanced all around the forest as though lost in a trance, each leaf she looked upon bringing back another time-rusted memory to her recollection. "I haven't been here in so long…"

"Did you used to live here, mama?" asked Dusk.

Blake nodded. "I grew up here with Adam. When we weren't moving around, we'd always come back here to train with our old master."

Dusk's heart pounded in his chest. "You mean… we're going to see your old master…?"

"That's where we're gonna be staying, baby," said Blake with a soft chuckle, rubbing his hand in her fingers. Her smile faded slightly. "You're definitely gonna surprise him, that's for sure…"

Dusk would have asked further questions, but he was lost in the demure beauty of the forest around him. A wave of sleepiness weighed down on his eyes, and he stumbled a little while he walked beside his mother, bumping against her by accident.

"Dusk?" Blake let go of her son's hand to stroke his golden curls. "You okay?"

"Mmmmrph…" Dusk mumbled quietly, rubbing his eyes with his little fists and blinking a few times to try and rid himself of his grogginess.

 _Somewhere beyond the mist, Dusk saw a young girl a year or two older than he running through the trees with a wild smile on her face. Her raven-black hair billowed behind her in waves as she took a quick look over her shoulder at something Dusk couldn't see._

 _The girl's golden eyes flashed with pure joy, then she turned around and ran even faster behind the cover of another tree. She never appeared on the other side._

"Dusk?"

Sound returned to Dusk in a sudden rush, and he blinked and rubbed his eyes again. When he looked a second time into the forest, there was no sign of the black-haired girl. Blake glanced off to where Dusk was staring and, after seeing nothing, asked Dusk, "Did you see something?"

"I…" Dusk glanced up at his mother, meeting the same golden eyes of the girl he'd just seen. These were older, wiser, and heavy with age, but Dusk knew those eyes. They were the same ones he had.

 _(He's still tired…)_

"Sorry, I… I'm just tired," mumbled Dusk.

Blake sighed, running her hand through his hair and caressing his kitten ears in her fingers. "You can start seeing things when you haven't slept for days. I'd know about that."

Dusk looked up at Blake inquisitively, but the sad glance she gave back told him all he needed to know. "I'd definitely know about that," Blake repeated.

Dusk said nothing further. When his mother lowered her hand from his hair, he took it and walked beside her in peaceful silence.

Goldberry swiped away the mist in the trail ahead.

 _(We're here.)_

The fog cleared to reveal a gossamer shoreline Dusk almost mistook for the ocean. The sands of the lake beach were white as snow. The water was absolutely still and transparent as blue ice as far as the eye could see. It was easily the size of a small sea, but Dusk couldn't believe there was so much water this far inland. Dusk didn't hear his own gasp of wonder and awe at the sight of the mist drifting lazily across the pristine water, moving to reveal a massive island some distance beyond the shore.

Goldberry sauntered beside Dusk and softly bumped him with her hip. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mama," said Dusk, looking up at his mother with wide-eyed wonder. "You trained here?"

Blake beamed with affection as Dusk's eyes brightened with an amazement she so loved to see on his boyish face. "No, I didn't train here, baby."

Blake pointed to the island in the lake.

"I trained over _there_ ," said Blake.

Dusk was speechless. The island seemed massive even from where he stood on the shoreline. He could see the trees in the island's contained forest, and felt a surge of amazement and-

 _(My old home…)_

-familiarity that wasn't his own bloom beneath his chest.

Blake knelt beside Dusk. "You wanna go there?"

Dusk nodded vehemently, much to Blake's and Goldberry's amusement. He looked up and tugged gently at Goldberry's pant leg. "Can we go, Miss Goldberry? Please?"

"Of course we can, kiddo," said Goldberry with a wink. "It's where you're gonna be staying for the next few days."

Dusk's face lit up a second time as he looked to his mother for confirmation and saw Blake laughing as she nodded in affirmation.

"I just hope," continued Goldberry, "he won't be too pissed when he finds out you're also here. That's my main concern."

Blake's smile dimmed. "Yeah. I hope not, either."

A strange silence overcame the three as Goldberry flicked and flexed her fingers by her side as though she were preparing for a run.

"What're you doing?" asked Dusk.

Goldberry glanced down and smiled. "Getting ready to take you over there."

Blake's expression contorted in confusion. "Where's the boat?"

Goldberry chuckled and shook her head. "Don't have one."

"What? Why not?"

Before Blake could ask any further, Goldberry reached back then cast her hand out. The rushing sound of water coalescing and hardening resonated in a quiet, cold roar across the silent lake. Water crystallized and became opaque-white before Dusk's very eyes. By the end of the whole transition, a bridge made of perfectly frozen water stretched between the shoreline and the far-off island.

Goldberry pulled her hand back against her chest, then turned to her two wards with a proud hand resting on her cocked hip. "Don't need a boat."

"Wow…" breathed Dusk. He walked carefully towards the ice bridge, eyes locked on it as he carefully laid his palm upon its edge. His hand flinched from its chill. Rubbing his fingers together, Dusk chuckled a small, gleeful cantor. "Wow…"

Goldberry felt her chest swell with pride as she watched Dusk glow with such genuine amazement. "He's precious, you know," she said to Blake. "Your son, I mean."

Blake's attention flickered from Dusk to Goldberry, so enraptured by her son's joy she almost didn't hear her escort's comment. Goldberry's freckled smile was contagious, and Blake felt it grow across her own lips as well. "Thank you…"

Goldberry smirked then waved Blake to follow her onto the ice bridge. Passing Dusk, she brushed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Time to go."

Blake took Dusk's hand, and they walked across the now jostled waters of the silent lake. To Dusk, it was like walking through his dreams to the place where all things come from. The island grew bigger and bigger the closer they got to its shores, seeming almost the size of a small city.

Dusk barely noticed he'd stepped off from the bridge and onto the sand of the isle until his mother stopped beside him. Looking behind himself, a cloud of mist drifted across Goldberry's ice bridge to obscure its destination beyond, making it seem like a bridge into the unknown. The Deer-Faunus then stepped beside Dusk and waved her hand at the open water. With a gentle shift of power, the bridge collapsed back into the ice-blue lake from whence it came.

Through the silence, Dusk could hear something coming else on the island farther off. He glanced behind him, looking up at the imposing trees of the solitary forest ahead.

"Did you hear that, mama?" asked Dusk.

"Yeah," answered Blake, resting a hand between Dusk's shoulders. "I'd know that sound anywhere."

 _(Grimbeorn)_

Dusk glanced up at his mother. She was smiling at the forest as the sound echoed through the trees. A forceful cry from a warrior's chest. A rush of force to accompany it.

"Oh. He's practicing right now," said Goldberry. She rubbed the side of her head and sighed. "It might be a little while, then."

"He won't mind if we just go and watch him for a little bit, do you think?" asked Blake. She glanced over at Goldberry for confirmation, though the young woman only returned a questioning look.

"You know he doesn't like spectators," said Goldberry.

Blake smirked. "He doesn't need to know we're there. We'll be discreet." She turned down to Dusk and tapped his shoulder. "Won't we?"

Dusk nodded in adamant agreement. He was hopelessly curious about this person Blake had so much respect for.

Goldberry considered for a moment, then shrugged and waved invitingly towards the forest. "Be my guest."

Blake hummed a gentle smile, then lifted her suitcase to carry over her shoulder. Without a word, she took Dusk's hand again, and together they walked into the thin trail leading deep into the heart of the island forest. Very few sounds of birds or other woodland animals made themselves heard in the falling afternoon. Maybe they were asleep, as the forest and the mist cast a spell over all from its ethereal beauty. Or maybe the animals were too intimidated, too overshadowed by the growing grunts and yells of effort in the distance beyond.

Out of the corner of Dusk's eyes, he thought he saw a flicker of movement in the forest. He glanced around his mother and saw through the trees a shape bearing a different color than the deep cool brown and bright crisp green of the rest of the forest. A rigid, geode-like structure-

 _(My old home.)_

-made of purest jade that flashed between the brown of the trees. Blake saw Dusk looking past her and winked down at him with a smile, but continued walking past. Another glance, and the jade shape was nowhere to be seen.

The grunts and whooshes of motion grew louder than ever before. Fluid and unstoppable forms Dusk could feel before even seeing the technique of the person performing them.

Then, upon reaching a clearing in the trees, Blake ducked low behind a nearby bush and pulled Dusk down with her. Once she was sure she hadn't interrupted the procession of yells and strikes beyond, Blake carefully maneuvered Dusk in front of her so he could look around into the clearing.

Dusk's breath was stolen from him.

A perfect sea of fluid green grass flickered like water to every subtle change of force in the air, defining the perfect movements of the solitary man who moved about as though he were, himself, a force of nature. His figure was large, but lean and defined by muscles and tendons only. Age was obvious in his features, in his gnarled joints and skin that had only ever been drawn tight across a body in its peak fitness. Old, yet sturdy. Scarred, yet hardened. Without a shirt, the man reminded Dusk much of his own father when he'd watch him practice out in the backyard before dawn. But with this man, Dusk could see the kinds of battles this man fought were numerous and deadly. Each of his strikes were primed to kill had they been unleashed on a living target.

It was harrowing, and yet, beautiful to watch because of the man's right arm. It was made entirely of some kind of gem like jade, but unlike any other kind of crystal Dusk had ever seen in his life. With each swing and stab of the jade blade he wielded, it flashed with latent power as though caught in the light of a dim star. Each strike was made with purpose. Each of his movements, effortless and precise.

In this man, Dusk could clearly see his mother in the footwork, in the way he glided across the grass like a ghost with the grace of a seasoned acrobat. But also he could see-

 _(The red blade striking, cutting the ones he loved…)_

-Adam's savagery in each swing of the man's blade at his invisible enemies, could feel the sheer force of his will to cut, swing, stab, parry with each manipulation of his weapon. This man's body and soul, Dusk could see without any assistance from his 'sight,' were under his perfect discipline; from the raccoon tail flowing out behind his tailbone to the blade in his hands. They were all his and his alone.

Dusk managed to pull his eyes away from the man in the field so he could show his amazement to his mother. Blake beamed with a quiet smile and nodded in agreement as she watched Goldberry kneel behind Dusk with her own smile.

Goldberry tapped on Dusk's shoulder and whispered gently into his ear, "He's amazing, isn't he?"

Dusk nodded vigorously, and Goldberry chuckled to herself. When Dusk turned back to watch the solitary man, he didn't speak again. No one spoke again the entire time the old swordsman trained in the grass field, watching with transfixed wonder at his movements and waiting patiently as the day waned on.

It was around the beginning of evening when the man finally aligned the butt of the blade's handle with his palm and retract it into his jade arm with a sharp hiss of stone and power.

"He's done," whispered Blake.

"Yeah," agreed Goldberry.

Dusk blinked profusely. All this watching and waiting made him hopelessly sleepy again, and part of him was thankful the performance was finally done. Blake saw and hugged Dusk in her arms, kissed his temple.

"I'm tired," mumbled Dusk.

"I know, baby," whispered Blake. "Let's go to the dojo now."

She glanced over at Goldberry, who nodded in understanding. Blake helped Dusk to his feet as both followed Goldberry back up through the island. Taking a different path, the dirt trail gave way to a long and winding set of ancient stairs leading up the incline of the island.

On the way up, Dusk passed _a young girl with black hair and another slightly older boy with deep crimson hair talking with one another on the steps. Blake and Goldberry took no notice, and Dusk rubbed his eyes._ Opening them again, Dusk saw they had vanished from the steps.

 _(Means nothing…)_

With a fearful breath, Dusk turned and picked up his pace. A massive vermilion dojo broke through the trees above as the three walked to a stop at its doors. At the top, Dusk looked out at the breathtaking view of the forest and the lake it lay on.

 _(The Sea of Mist.)_

Dusk's recognition and familiarity towards it was not his own. It frightened him.

Three knocks on the massive wooden doors made Dusk jump and he scuttled behind his mother by reflex.

"Uncle!" Goldberry yelled at the door. "Uncle, I'm back with-"

The door swung inwards, the solitary man practically taking up the entire space with his tall posture. He wasn't big, necessarily, but he commanded the space he was in with such authority that he seemed much larger than he actually was. His wild, unkempt hair was the same peppered black and grey as his scruffy beard and tail swishing behind his back. His beard shifted and moved with his face as he sniffed through his nose like it had a life of its very own. Only one arm had armpit hair, Dusk noticed. The other was jade crystal all the way up to his collarbone, infecting part of his right pectoral with a splash of glimmering crystal.

The man said nothing, only stared at Blake with piercing eyes the same brilliant jade making up his right arm.

Goldberry shook her head at her uncle. "Uncle Grimbeorn? Hello? Aren't you gonna-?"

"Where's the boy?" asked Grimbeorn.

A chill ran down Dusk's spine. He could feel one run through his mother as well.

"I know everything that goes on in this island, my disgraced student, or have you already forgotten why my arm is this way?" Grimbeorn chuckled, lifted his right hand and clenched it into a jade fist. After he lowered it, his stoic posture loosened as he gestured behind Blake. "Come on. Let me see him."

All three were completely silent. Dusk saw Goldberry look at him as she stepped slightly back, parting herself from the business between Blake and her uncle. He reflexively hid behind his mother's leg, but felt her hand soothing its way through his golden locks, stroking softly away at his shyness.

"It's alright, baby," whispered Blake, "Go on."

Carefully, tentatively, Dusk removed himself from behind his mother and stepped before the imposing man. He was hopelessly nervous in Grimbeorn's silence, and kept his eyes trained on the ground as he blushed a bright red and fumbled with his fingers. A hand rested on his shoulder and he jumped, but it was only Blake's.

"Master Grimbeorn, this is my son," said Blake. "Dusk."

The Raccoon-Faunus's eyes rolled from Blake back down to Dusk, and Dusk's eyes shot back down to the ground.

"H… H-Hullo…" mumbled Dusk to Grimbeorn's feet.

In a shift of movement, Grimbeorn fell to a knee before Dusk and pressed his jade finger beneath his chin.

"Look at me," whispered Grimbeorn.

With great trepidation, Dusk did. Grimbeorn's jade eyes skirted in and around Dusk's features with a cool, objective flicker that gave Dusk no fear.

A warm smile stretched across the old master's face. "Well I'll be…"

"W-What?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn's jade fingers brushed aside Dusk's golden bangs as his eyes looked deep into Dusk's for a moment, then turned up to meet Blake's.

"He has his mother's eyes," he said with a grin. "The same eyes of the girl who changed the world."

xXx

 **A/N: Oh yeah. Shit's 'bout to get real. (As if it hasn't already.)**

 **Two more BSK chapters are gonna be on their way in the coming months. I'm starting to see a trend in my own habits that I tend to upload at least one chapter a month, so if you want an EST, there it is. Sorry I can't write much faster, but that is just plain old how the cookie crumbles.**

 **But I hope this chapter is enough to keep you folks interested in what happens next with Blake's babies.**

 **Time to write 3+ more chapters of "Eternal Autumn" and/or a possibly new AU introductory one-shot I've been pontificating with a good friend of mine online.**

 **Then my usual return to this wonderful little story.**

 **I love writing these stories so much.**

 **;)**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **When You Were Young"**_ **– The Killers,** _ **"Sam's Town"**_

" _ **Solo Dolo (nightmare)," "Soundtrack 2 My Life," "Day 'N' Nite (nightmare)"**_ **– Kid Cudi,** _ **"Man On The Moon: The End Of Day"**_

" _ **New Person, Same Old Mistakes"**_ **– Tame Impala,** _ **"Currents"**_

" _ **Black Hole Sun"**_ **– Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox,** _ **"Squad Goals"**_

" _ **Worry About You"**_ **– Ivy,** _ **"Long Distance"**_

" _ **Flock"**_ **– Disasterpiece,** _ **"Hyper Light Drifter"**_

" _ **From The Beginning"**_ **– Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, **_**"Trilogy"**_

 **As always, thanks for taking the time to read my story. It means more to me than you know.**

 **Until next time,**

 **-M.E. Grimm**


	7. Her Beautiful Dawn (Part 2)

**Author's Greetings:**

 **RWBY ain't mine, but fuck if I wish it was.**

 **Dat RWBY Vol. 4 character development, tho.**

 ***takes in a big whiff***

 **GAH. GOOD SHIT.**

 **As of right now two episodes are out, just so I let you guys know how much I'm taking into consideration about what's departing from canon in my story and what's not.**

 **And yes. BSK Blake has been punt-kicked off-canon, and quite possibly all of BSK with her.**

… **(Fucking revealing Blake's parents are actually still alive how the fuck could I have not forseen that *mumble, grumble, mumble, grumble…*)**

 **However, I will continue to stick close to canon regardless, and see how much more I can fit into these stories that comes directly from the show just for shits and giggles.**

 **Because as for the rest of team RWBY, I've been rather spot on.**

 **And from what I can see from having just watched episode 2 of Vol. 4, Weiss's character is going in exactly the direction I think she's going.**

 **Which is good. For me.**

 **And for this chapter in particular.**

… **Enjoy. ;)**

 **(And happy Black Sun Week!)**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Seven: Her Beautiful Dawn**_ _ **)**_

 _ **(Part 2)**_

" _Atarashii asa,_

 _Atarashii kaze,_

 _Anata no tame ni junbisareta no…_

 _Atarashii asa,_

 _Atarashii hikari,_

 _Sekai wa anata no tame ni aru…"_

 **-Masakatsu Takagi,** _ **"Mother's Song"**_

 _ **(Untranslated)**_

" _A new morning,_

 _A new wind,_

 _Prepared just for you…_

 _A new morning,_

 _A new light,_

 _A world just for you…"_

 **-Masakatsu Takagi,** _ **"Mother's Song"**_

 _ **(English Translation)**_

xXx

In Vale, there was a boxing gym with a sign on the outside saying it was closed and would open sometime around six in the morning. It was, of course, locked by the owner, as any smart shopkeeper would do in the urban jungle of inner Vale.

This was so the owner wouldn't be disturbed during her usual early-morning workout. Yang assumed, rather correctly, most people don't bother going around to boxing gyms in the early morning hours before the dawn. In this time slot, she found a rather comfortable two-hour cushion of privacy in which she could go through her _real_ exercising regimen. The one she didn't let customers see out of fear she'd either scare them, or accidentally hurt them.

It involved a massive, state-of-the-art Atlesian combat mech easily two to three times her size trying to do to her what it did to make all the holes in the concrete floor all around her. To be completely fair, _Yang's_ handiwork was also quite visible in the very back of the gym as well. The place was a graveyard for all her partner's predecessors who'd failed before it. She really _did_ need to clean up the place; sell all the spare parts to a scrapyard or something.

This model, to Yang's infinite delight, was actually giving her a pretty hard time. One of the fastest, most clever sparring mechs Weiss ever donated to her shop. Certainly it lasted a fair bit longer than all the others, but her daily wailing on it was barely noticeable. Whatever material made up its exterior, it could withstand Yang's abuse on a daily basis and even deal it back in kind.

"You'd best be glad I just use you for boxing practice, Mac," teased Yang breathlessly. "Otherwise, there'd be nothing else left of you to make an oven timer."

While she teased, "Mac" strode in and with perfect form drove his right fist into her skull in a lightning-fast jab. The blow was so fast, so hard, Yang spun in circles as she stumbled back, struggling to regain her footing. The mech strode in again, seeing his opponent clearly disoriented and open for another attack. It threw another punch towards Yang's head.

One moment, Mac's fist sailed past Yang's cheek, grazing the skin as it impacted the floor behind her. The next, the inertia of Yang's counterattack brought its head into the full, savage force of Yang's left fist, colliding dead in the middle of where its nose should have been.

Mac crashed into the far-off wall, blowing cracks into the side of Yang's gym.

Yang's left arm remained out and ramrod straight. Yang glared at Mac with red eyes, focused rage keeping her gaze trained on her opponent to make sure he didn't get back up. When it was clear she'd accidentally knocked out Mac again with her punch, Yang calmly curled her bloodied fist back to her chest and breathed out the last of her aggression. Her sigh rumbled deep through her entire being, trembling the concrete beneath her feet as her eyes opened bright and lavender once again.

Across the sparring space, Mac twitched like a fresh corpse. The internal mechanisms went to work repairing any damage Yang had done. Yang watched and chuckled to herself while she hopped out her adrenaline.

"Gave me quite the surprise there, Mac," quipped Yang. "Almost got me, too."

A powerful twitch rattled through the mech, then it lifted its head as if to give a smile. If, you know, if it had any discernable facial expressions. Or facial features, for that matter. All it gave in response was a series of cheerful, robotic chirps as it flexed its fingers in small, diagnostic pumps.

Yang laughed once, hearty and vibrant. She walked over to the mech and held out the only arm she had on at the time, the fingers beneath the boxing bandages stocky, hard, and riddled with callouses and scars.

"Well, you know what they say about a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, right?"

Mac's accepted Yang's offered hand by crushing it entirely in its metal digits. Yang paid hardly any mind as she hauled it to its feet with mundane ease and returned to her bench to wipe sweat from her face. When she was finished drinking her water, the mech was standing beside the bench.

"You're like a puppy, you know?" said Yang.

Mac gave a series of appreciative robotic beeps. Without any order from Yang, the machine then crouched and rolled onto its back before its master, arms and legs spread out spread eagle style. Its chirps were long and ragged, its imitation of a dog's panting.

Yang placed her water bottle on the bench beside her and reached down to pat Mac sweetly on its metal cheek. "Yeah, yeah, you're the only man for me, bud. Truly a gal's best friend."

Mac leaned its head into Yang's hand as though appreciating the attention she gave, and gave a robotic whine when she stood and walked to the showers.

"I'm not going anywhere, you big baby! I'm just taking a shower!"

And so she did, after removing her clothes in the locker room and stepping into the warm water. She reached behind herself and unleashed her waves of sun-gold hair from the small band keeping it up in a ponytail.

Showers in the morning, Yang thought to herself with a smile. Something about them was just divine.

As soon as Yang entered she was out again, fully dressed in a generic orange tank-top and a fresh pair of black jogging pants. It was a ritual she went through most every day of her life, and she loved every bit of it. First, the morning exercise. Then sparring with Mac. A shower.

And after, for the rest of her time before the gym's opening, her office. She walked inside with a quaint jingle of the overhanging bell and immediately smelled the coffee brewing in the corner of the small, cluttered office.

"The elixir of life," said Yang with a moan.

She went over and poured herself a glass, drinking it in a single gulp in spite of it being freshly brewed. After, she glanced at her desk filled with papers and other things regarding her gym. Its appearance gave the impression of hard, managerial work going on at basically all times of the day. And some of it was important, yes.

But most of the papers, had ordinary people tried picking one or two of the clusters up, would have likely assumed many of them to be manuscripts for some big action blockbuster that hadn't ever been greenlighted. And in a way, they would have been right. In a way, they _all_ were, technically, manuscripts.

They were not, however, fiction.

Yang reached down to one of the drawers of her desk with a number lock and tapped out the password as though second nature. Inside was her scroll, which she took out and activated a secret app which made something in the room whirr and click. A hidden mechanism unfurling itself from wherever it rested in the room. A secret in the walls.

Yang walked through the section of what appeared to be drywall behind her desk chair that had suddenly swung open, and shut it behind her. Small lights flickered along the floor of the dark hallway as she held the mug in her teeth and snapped her fingers into the air.

A low, robotic hum sighed to life in the room beyond. A plethora of monitors pulsed to life. By the time Yang reached the seat in front of a digital keyboard, the room systems were all online, and her coffee mug was completely empty. This she looked upon with a slightly disappointed pout, then went over to the table beside the computer. The glass screen was also activating, though a long patch of black laid on the surface obstructing some of the lightshow.

A patch of black that, when illuminated by the eerie blue-green light beneath it, revealed an arm forged of a strange gold and black metal. As if left there from someone either too lazy to take it off once she was in her room or who had wanted to purposefully leave it out of her morning regiment to motivate her to stick to her schedule.

Yang convinced herself of the latter, as she often did, ignoring the former.

She exchanged the mug for the prosthetic, aligning the opening with the long-severed joint of her right arm. Her Aura activated with a rush of exhilaration, flooding the material with her raw, innate will. A will that made the ornate dragon scales etched into the strange metal growl with solar-gold energy. Her arm brimmed with power, then receded to its normal appearance as a prosthetic arm. She scooped up her mug with it.

"Daily status report," Yang called out with a soft sigh. She reached the coffee machine on _this_ end of her office and poured herself a fresh cup of scalding black focus. "Tell me how our birdies are doin' out there."

Behind Yang, the table interface bloomed to life with a hologram of Remnant. Small, multicolored markers like dots peppered the blue-green orb before a smooth, electronic voice announced: "All registered Huntresses and Huntsmen have made no declarations of emergency since you last checked, Miss Xiao Long. Status: Nominal."

Yang smiled into her coffee as she drank. _Miss Xiao Long_. "How's my little sister doing?"

The holograph of Remnant zoomed in on a red marker some distance out of Vale far beyond Mountain Glenn, and displayed a profile of Ruby. A little icon of a Bullhead was making its way towards her, and seemed to be making good speed.

"Huntress Ruby Rose reported her mission completed just a few hours ago and is primed for extraction. Bullhead ETA: Three minutes."

Yang lifted a brow. "A bit of a hasty extraction, don't you think? No rush. I mean, she probably refused pay." Yang's lips flattened and she shook her head, lifting the mug to her lips humorlessly. " _Again._ "

"Yeah, well, she's the only one of you three I can't immediately get a hold of, so I'm picking her up ASAP," said Penny.

Yang sputtered into her mug in surprise, coughed to clear her throat. "Penny?"

Atop the table, Penny's upper half beamed a smile, politely waving beside the display of Remnant. "Morning, Yang!"

"Why're you here?" asked Yang through a rasp. She walked over to the table, and the map of Remnant changed with a wave of Penny's digital hand. "Woah, Penny, what's going on? An attack? An invasion? What?"

"Oh, nothing like that!" laughed Penny with a chipper sound. The globe of Remnant stopped spinning and zoomed into Umbra Valley where two markers, one glowing violet and the other a smoldering orange-gold, appeared at Umbra General Hospital. Yang knew those two markers instantly. Blake's and Sun's.

And they were in a hospital.

"Blake's in labor, Yang! She's having the baby right now!" said Penny.

"Now?" asked Yang.

"Now! In Umbra Valley General! She was just admitted!"

Yang was robbed of thought for a bit, then came back with a jolt and a cry. "She's… Blake's having… Oh _shit!_ "

Penny brimmed with glee, her smile of blue-green light glowing with excitement.

"Okay. Okay, okay, ah…" Yang paced back and forth, her hands flailing as she tried to think of what to do next. Something hit her and she pointed at Penny's hologram. "You contacted everyone."

"Yeah," answered Penny.

"You're getting my sister…" Yang's fingers tried to do the math while she thought, but conceded and turned to Penny to ask, "How long do you think she's gonna take?"

"Longest out of all of you, but I think she'll be able to make it within two hours or so. _Maybe_ one if the both of us really haul it."

"Okay…" Yang's pacing became increasingly less frantic as the list of things to worry about fell from her mind. "What else… What else…?"

Penny giggled. "Yang."

Yang's head shot up. "What?"

"I've got it all taken care of, don't worry! I even got a Bullhead heading your way right now and it should pick you up within about ten minutes at the latest!" Penny displayed this by waving her hand, scrambling the hologram of Remnant back into Vale. Between Yang's gym and Umbra Valley, another icon of a Bullhead was making considerable speed to close the distance. It was definitely going to reach Yang in just a few minutes, like Penny had said.

"Oh… Okay…" Yang breathed again, each breath slowly relaxing her shoulders until the panic and worry escaped her entirely. "Good."

"Are you alright, Yang?" asked Penny.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just…" Another sigh, then Yang smiled. "Thanks, Penny."

"Not a problem! Are you nervous?"

Yang breathed a soft laugh like a snort as she ran both hands through her golden bangs. "Probably. A little anxious, excited. How about you?"

Penny's hologram wiggled her shoulders playfully. "Yeah. _Super_ excited. Her baby's gonna be the first newborn I've ever touched with my own two hands! I've been going over all the maternity websites on the web to make sure I know the proper way to hold it when I get there!"

Yang's eyes grew wide. "Wait, _you're going_? In your Vessel?"

"Absolutely!" answered Penny, "I wouldn't want to miss this for the whole wide world!"

Yang's heart softened. With Penny's excitement, she was beginning to grasp the full brevity of what was happening. Blake was having her baby. After so long and after so much, it was all coming to this morning.

"Neither would I," said Yang, murmuring a soft chuckle as she turned her head back up to the beaming AI. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that, Penny."

Even from deep inside her secret room, Yang could hear the distant hum of engines beyond her gym grow ever-so gradually. The Bullhead was almost here.

Penny perked up to announce what Yang already knew. "Oh, Yang, the Bullhead-!"

"Yep, yep, I can hear it!" Yang wasted no time and started jogging back towards the hall, calling over her shoulder to Penny, "Last one out turn out the lights, okay?"

"I got it!" Penny called out after Yang, waving to the computer monitors as she willed them to sleep.

"See you there!" Yang added, though no reply came back from the now dark room. She weaved out from the secret door then kicked it shut, listening to the locking mechanisms whirr into place with a satisfying series of buzzes, as she sprinted across the gym to her locker in the back. As she did, Mac's featureless metal head followed her with an almost sad slowness.

"Blake's going into labor, Mac! She's having the baby!" cried Yang as she bolted into her private locker room and took out everything she needed from inside in a frenzy of grasping and shoving into pockets. "Today's the day!"

Mac hummed and beeped excitedly from outside.

"Ah…" Yang glanced down at herself, evaluating her own appearance and wondering if it was suitable to show up like this for Blake's first baby. She hadn't even put on a bra underneath her tank-top. As far as she'd known waking up, she was going to have the morning to herself as usual.

But outside, the sound of the Bullhead's engines grew ever-louder. In fact, it sounded like it was going to be in front of the shop at any moment.

Her head shot down to evaluate herself again, but then quickly shook her head and just grabbed one of her gym's sweaters from the many strewn across the room.

"Well, the sprout's definitely gonna get an accurate first impression of her auntie Yang," she whispered to herself, shoving the hoodie down over her head. "Or _his_ auntie Yang. Whatever."

She sprinted out from the room quickly afterwards. As she went, Yang shouted to Mac, "I'm out! Make sure to watch the place for me while I'm gone, alright?"

Mac gave a series of hard beeps and saluted in perfect form.

Yang burst through the front entrance of her gym to the whirring roar of the Bullhead's engines as it descended to the floor of the concrete jungle. Her golden-blonde hair billowed out in a storm behind her as she lept into the open cargo hold without it having properly descended yet. When Yang grabbed a tight hold of one of the rungs, she saw the pilot glance back at her with wide eyed amazement at her incredible jump.

" _What're you lookin' at?! Get us outta here! I've gotta friend to see and a kid I need to meet! Chop chop!_ " Yang screamed above the roar of the engines. The pilot nodded immediately and turned back as the Bullhead ascended high above the city.

Yang didn't sit down once for the entire ride. She was way too excited for that.

xXx

Waking up in unfamiliar places on a regular basis was something supposed to be reserved for her big sister, Ruby thought to herself.

Lots had changed about them both, then, since this was the hundredth time in her most recent memory she could remember waking to her alarm in a place she didn't recognize.

The bed sheets were soft, but the bed itself was low to the ground. Not really a bed, actually. Just a mattress her host had offered her along with the room. It wouldn't have been fair to call this place poor. No, just _simple_. The walls were made of simple material. The window shades, made from haphazardly strung-together pieces of wood attatched to a string by which one manipulated them. She hadn't expected them to afford her many luxuries, anyways.

Ruby recalled her not minding their offer to let her stay in what amounted to a glorified cleaning supplies room with a spare mattress. She recalled this as her silver eyes skirted across the tall shapes of brooms and mops and buckets towering all around her.

Ruby smiled. It was all they could afford. She took it and thanked them profusely, treating it like one of Weiss's luxury condos.

 _The alarm,_ Ruby reminded herself.

With a groan, she flipped over and pressed the snooze button on her scroll. She laid there for a few seconds post-awakening. _Broom closet, simple home, alarm…_

 _Oh yeah. I finished my mission._

Ruby chuckled into her pillow, grasping the scroll as she pushed herself to her knees. The blanket gently slid down the slope of her elegant, toned figure underneath. She shook the hair from her eyes with a sleepy smile.

 _I get to go back home now._

Stripes of lighter darkness trickled into the complete black of the small room. The dying night striated itself along her bare arms, brighter shades of the sunless morning revealing the scarred flesh of her powerful, sinewy arms. Her arm moved through them to grab her scroll from where it laid beside her pillow. She lifted it and activated the flashlight, wincing from the sudden flood of illumination.

Ruby took a moment to remember the stark simplicity of the room in the cold, advanced light of her phone. Then, after committing it to her memory, dragged the light across the floor until she found her clothes at the other end of her bed.

Ruby clothed herself in the quaint darkness as though performing a ritual. Certainly, she considered re-applying the velvet bandages to her arms as something akin to a ritual. This home has children, Ruby remembered. If they walked in on her naked, that was something she didn't really care about.

If they walked in and saw her scars… well…

Ruby would have regretted to make them worry so much on the morning of her departure.

After her arms were fully concealed in the blood-red fabric, she clenched and relaxed her fists. Her Aura pulsed along the fabric, allowing it to respond to her will to harden, to soften, to make herself as comfortable as she could be allowed. Sure enough, it still seemed to work just fine, and Ruby dismissed her Aura from the bandages with a relaxed breath.

The rest of her clothes were promptly applied to her person in the minutes that followed. Her Huntress uniform fit her like an old glove, and Ruby loved it. Especially when, after she reapplied her cape, she pressed it to her nose and smelled the gentle lilac scent it carried.

"Thanks for washing my clothes," whispered Ruby to the door.

She stood and made sure to clean up after herself as best she could. Fold the blankets, hoist the mattress against the wall, used one of the brooms to sweep the small space she'd occupied during her mission, and other small, menial tasks.

All was said and done after only a few minutes. It was as though she'd never even been there. Ruby placed her hands on her hips, giving a small victorious huff.

"Good job, me."

Her eyes traveled to the last evidence she had left to clean up. Her backpack and Crescent Rose both rested in the corner closest to her bed.

Picking both of these up, Ruby exited from the room through the window, completing her vanishing act for good.

Outside, Ruby looked out and around at the sleeping world before her. Her departure from the small village she'd protected from a roaming band of raiders was soon to be had. Now was the perfect time to leave if ever there was one.

 _But… just one more thing…_

Ruby crept along the outside of the house and arrived at another window near hers. She carefully lifted the rack of wooden strips covering the opening and peered inside. She whispered a name into it. Nothing. Ruby tried again and heard some soft rustling from deep beneath the covers of the bed. A moment later, a head of wild black hair rose from the blankets as the young girl it belonged to looked up at the window groggily.

Ruby waved cheerfully at the child, and could see the realization bloom on her little face. Her seeing that it was Ruby, her excitement, then her soft faltering as she remembered it was the dead of night, and Ruby was on the _other_ side of the window. In her village's language, Ruby told the little girl she was leaving now, and for her to take care of herself and her family while she was out.

The girl in the bed nodded, then stood and shuffled over to the window. Her arms opened to Ruby, tears pouring down her soft cheeks in tiny rivers of dim starlight. Ruby accepted the child into her bandaged arms without a second thought, hugging her through the window while she waited for the girl to finish her weeping. The child finished, as they always did, and managed to wipe away her own tears without Ruby's help.

Ruby pressed a finger to her lips, winked, then turned to let the blinds fall in a soft rattle.

Immediately the girl flew to the shudders and pulled them open as fast as she could, hoping she'd be able to see the wonderful stranger who'd saved her life one last time.

But out her window, there was nothing but the wide open wilderness she'd always seen throughout her life. The harsh, incredible, dangerous, free world beyond the walls of the kingdoms.

In the corners of her vision, small flashes of red fluttered ever-gently down from the air. Like rose petals falling from a downturned hand. She knew the stranger was returning home, and smiled, and waved once more before returning to bed.

On a hill in the distance, Ruby took one final glance at the small hamlet she'd come here to protect, smiled when she picked out the tiny house she'd stayed in, then turned and continued on her way through the morning night.

It didn't take her very long to reach the point of extraction previously discussed with Yang, nor did it take very long for her to see the Bullhead in the distance grow from a speck into an identifiable shape complete with the sounds of engines. As soon as it reached her, it didn't descend to her level.

This was hardly a problem.

One moment, Ruby was kneeling on the ground. Then, the flowing cloth of her cape pulsed with growing Aura, tossed in a non-existent wind as it changed from a cape into the long tail of a red scarf.

The next moment, Ruby blurred and reappeared in the passenger hold. She stood and took hold of one of the overhead rungs without a moment's hesitation. The pilot reached behind himself to offer a small headset to Ruby. She took it and attached it to her ear, activated it.

"Alrighty. Job done," said Ruby with a sigh. She tossed her backpack and Crescent Rose into the netted holsters above the seats then sat herself down with an exhausted groan, strapping herself in for the ride. "Time to head back home."

"There's been a change of plans, ma'am. Orders from the top," said the pilot. "Plotting course to Umbra Valley General Hospital. And I was told to step on it."

Ruby furrowed her brow and sat upright immediately. "Why Umbra Valley?"

"Well, now that you've finally gotten into my range of communications, I can finally tell you!" said Penny's chipper voice through the headset. "It's Blake, Ruby! She's gone into labor!"

Ruby's eyes grew wide. She hesitated for a moment, then pressed the headset closer against her ear. "I'm sorry, it sounded like you said Blake was in labor?"

"Yes Ruby, she's been admitted into the maternity ward of Umbra Valley General! The baby's coming!"

Ruby's heart skipped a beat. "Penny."

"Hmm?" asked Penny. "What is it, Ruby?"

"How soon can this Bullhead get me to the border of Umbra Valley?"

xXx

A long day didn't even begin to describe the kind of day Weiss was thankful had ended the night before.

The choice was always there, even since before The Cataclysm. Hers to stress over. Hers to think about and worry about all the time.

Her inheritance? Or her life as a Huntress?

Going through The Cataclysm hadn't made the choice any easier, especially when the true depth of her family's actions to further the disarray of the entire world revealed themselves to her. So many lives crushed underneath her family's legacy. So much destruction and chaos from one company's relentless pursuit of complete and total energy dominance. Her entire upbringing, a sham. The lies and bottomless bigotry of one man passed down like a plague from father to daughter. How it had poisoned her. Poisoned the entire world that existed beyond the prison bars of her family mansion's alabaster pillars. And what was left? Tarnished honor and blood money.

If she could have it, Weiss would have found the decision remarkably easy to make once she found out. She would want absolutely nothing to do with her family legacy after learning what she had once been a part of.

But alas, it was so much more than she had bargained for. While still a disgraced name, the Schnee Dust Company had one thing under its title that the entire planet still needed: Dust. Assets upon assets upon assets that her father had spent a fortune in lobbying to ensure no matter what happened, the quarries of the SDC would remain the property of the SDC. Even after so much loss, even after so much hate, her father had managed one final knot for her to untangle that he _knew_ would be the one most difficult. The last and greatest thorn to remove.

And it would not budge easily. Not one little bit.

If she had been looking forward to uncovering those among the inner workings of the SDC who were still seeking the same dominance as her father, her sentiment had dwindled quite fast. The better portion of the staff responsible for holding the entire company together had been summarily tried and found guilty of crimes that had advanced the initiation of The Cataclysm, leaving whatever remained of the company a husk of its former self. Not nearly as functional with someone who'd spent the better part of her teenage life training to fight and used to always having money on hand.

Part of it had been her father's fault, yes. But there was some blame yet to be held on her for not being ready for this when the time came.

That was when Penny came back into the picture. It was incredible enough that Dr. Polendina was willing to bestow such a powerful system to the discretion of team RWBY, but Weiss never imagined Penny would offer aid in keeping the company afloat while its involvement in The Cataclysm dealt blow after blow. She supposed it was a job meant for a machine. It had certainly seemed that way all her life, especially concerning everyone around her lived only for the pursuit of the lien by any means necessary.

Her father always had said it was a game of numbers, and it took numbers to make more numbers.

God, Weiss was glad Penny was here to help her run everything. Without the help of the AI, she most certainly wouldn't have made the progress she'd been making in relinquishing the deeds of some of her quarries. Weiss had even made it a point of honor to lowball the prices for the governments to pay, but somehow Penny always managed to pick up just a little more than her request. A small part of Weiss was glad she did. If for no other reason than to appease the rich girl she knew would always live inside of her, always asking for nothing but the best.

It was a daily concern of Weiss's to deal with. Every night, she was thankful to collide into the bed and immediately black out into dreamless sleep, liberating her for at least a few more hours until she had to wake up and deal with it all over again. There would come a day when it all ended, she supposed. When the last of her family's quarries had been handed back over to more responsible souls and her company would then simply be delegated to an advisory firm paid to oversee the handling of Dust mining. She couldn't wait for that time. It would be so much simpler than everything else she'd ever known regarding her family's company.

But she didn't think she'd ever remove the stain on her hands, the shadow over her name, when it came to-

 _*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*_

Weiss awoke with a scowl already on her face. Another night of troubled sleep. Certainly her alarm wasn't helping. Especially since, when she crawled over to glance at the time on her scroll, she knew the alarm was hours too early for her.

"Really? I thought I set up the alarm last night, what the hell?"

Weiss reached over with a groan and slapped groggily at her bedside counter until one of her strikes managed to land on the snooze button. Immediately upon hearing the alarm stop, Weiss buried her face into her pillow and curled deeper into the plush darkness.

"Stupid alarm…"

 _*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*_

Her hand flew out from beneath the covers and swiped the scroll from its wireless charging home, held the home button to shut it off, then threw it across the room where it slid to a stop in a nearby corner. Weiss didn't like to lose her composure, but today she truly was in no mood. She just wanted to return to the peaceful tranquility of a dreamless sleep. Was that really too much to ask? No, she told herself. No it was not. Now go back to sleep. Screw it if anyone needs you to do anything.

Again, Weiss buried herself beneath her waves of snow-white hair as she let the softness of her bed carry her mind off into the precursor of sleep.

 _*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*_

Weiss lifted herself from her bed.

With a cold, focused rage, she turned and glared at the scroll as it buzzed with obnoxious repetition, and lifted a hand in its direction. A white glyph pivoted in her palm as another rotated beneath her phone. In a rush of motion, the phone flew into her grasp, which she held in a furious fist. Beneath her fingers, she willed a glyph to appear inside the phone. She could feel the white symbol turn gently within, then slow and darken as she locked all the functions of the phone shut. Nothing going in. Nothing going out.

When she knew for a fact the phone would be silent, Weiss breathed low and tired. She opened one of the drawers, tossed the dead scroll inside, and then fell back into her bed without making another peep. It was way, _way_ too early to be dealing with this kind of shit, and Weiss finally managed to go back to sleep.

" _Weiss!"_

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep at that point, but she knew some time had passed before this new bother slipped into her drowsy mind to prod her slowly but surely back to the surface.

" _Weiss!"_

It sounded awfully familiar, actually. Weiss wondered if it was just more of some half-dream. Some strange thoughts she had been having the day before about-

" _WEISS!"_

Weiss flew back in her bed with a strangled cry as Penny's voice exploded beside her ear. She scrambled back from the sound until one of her arms reached back into open air and she tumbled backwards off the bed.

" _Weiss? Are you up now?"_ asked Penny from Weiss's wireless scroll charger, using its speakers to project her voice throughout the room.

Weiss blinked in the darkness of her upside-down room, then sighed. "Yes, Penny. I'm up."

" _I tried reaching you on your phone."_

"Yeah," groaned Weiss, flopping herself sideways to lay on the floor as it corrected her perception of the room. "I know."

" _More trouble sleeping?"_ asked Penny. Had it been anyone else, Weiss might have brushed off the question or lied. But with Penny, especially after all she'd done for her, the query was touching, if nothing else.

"Yeah." Weiss stood with the help of the bed and rubbed at the bags under her eyes. At least I'm smiling, Weiss thought. "I'm fine, though. Thanks for asking, Penny."

" _Not a problem!"_

Weiss emoted an appreciative grunt. Not very ladylike, but what did she care? She lifted her elegant arms high over her head as she coiled her lithe figure in a graceful stretch. "So what were you trying to reach me about? More legal shit?"

" _Oh, no! Blake's in labor right now!"_

Weiss's eyes shot open. Slowly, she uncoiled herself from her stretch and stared at her phone charger in disbelief. "What?"

Weiss could hear the smile in Penny's voice as she said, _"Yep! Sun just admitted her into the maternity ward of Umbra Valley General! She's having the baby right now!"_

 _She's having the baby._ Weiss's heart beat with an excitement she hadn't felt in a long time. _The baby's coming right now…_

"You said she's in the hospital right now?" asked Weiss.

" _Mmhm!"_

"Make sure you put the medical bills on my tab. _All of them._ " Weiss strode over to the bedside drawer and pulled her scroll back out, willing her hex to unlock itself as the phone came back to life.

" _Done, but you know Blake's gonna insist,"_ warned Penny.

"But you just did it," said Weiss, grinning as she made her way over to her closet to find something acceptable to wear. "I assume you're sending over a Bullhead of some kind to come pick me up?"

" _Already on its way. Should reach you in a couple of minutes,"_ replied Penny from the bedroom.

Weiss held one of her favorite outfits before herself in the mirror. Would this be appropriate for visiting her teammate's first child? Did she need to be so formal? The question ate away at her as she filed through most of the clothes in her walk-in closet and judged each one in split-second fashion. Who was she to not look her best for a newborn child's big debut?

"You've already gotten some kind of transportation for everyone, I assume," Weiss called as she held up another outfit before the mirror. This one seemed a bit more promising. Not so damn formal.

" _Of course! I don't think any of us would want to miss this! I know I won't!"_ Penny's voice said.

Weiss was putting on her bra when Penny had spoken, and it surprised her to hear. "Wait, you're going in your Vessel?"

" _Of course! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!"_ answered Penny.

Weiss smiled, continuing to dress herself for the occasion. "Neither would I…"

It didn't take long for Weiss to get herself at least moderately presentable in the short amount of time she'd been given. By the time she applied the last of her foundation to hide the bags under her eyes, she could hear the growing hum of propulsion engines growing closer.

" _Thank you, by the way, for being the closest out of everyone else. Ruby's out on a mission and will probably be here a little later than you and Yang,"_ said Penny.

"Well, it _was_ on us to be there for her when the day came," said Weiss, looking over herself one last time in the mirror and being moderately pleased with her work. "That's the least we owe her. And I'll do it again for any other kids she wants to push out later on."

" _Hopefully by then, all this business with the company will be done. Make it less stressful to get ready when the time comes,"_ noted Penny.

A cold pulse shivered through Weiss's heart, but she forced herself to ignore it. Now wasn't the time to stress about that, not today. "Yeah," whispered Weiss, turning off the lights and shutting the bathroom door behind her.

" _Bullhead's here!"_ announced Penny.

"Alright, thanks," said Weiss. She grabbed her purse from the mahogany table where she'd left it last night, thrown it there as she made a beeline for the shower to get ready for bed. Another look in another mirror told her even in a rush, she could still put together a decent outfit.

" _You're checking your outfit one more time, aren't you?"_

"You know me," Weiss answered absently, turning herself back and forth in the mirror. "If I use the phone, do you think you could give it a look and let me know what you think?"

" _How about you go up to the Bullhead and let me see for myself?"_

Weiss was about to ask what she meant when she heard the transport land with a gentle thump at the very top of her high-end apartment complex.

" _Just landed! If you're done, I'm waiting in the Bullhead!"_ said Penny's voice. There was a soft click, and the scroll home went quiet for the last time.

Weiss's mouth was open to say something, but slowly shut with a grin. For the last time, Weiss examined herself in the mirror and, upon seeing herself as acceptable, exited her condo and took the stairs.

She could hear the roar of the engines even before she opened the door to the helipad at the top of the complex. She made sure to keep her head low as she made her way to the passenger side of the Bullhead. Her snowy hair, in spite of being done in her usual ponytail, still flipped around her head even as she stepped into the closing hatch.

"You look amazing!"

Weiss was strapping herself in when she glanced to her side and saw her friend's bloom of cinnamon-orange curls descending to a bob just beneath her shoulders. Her light jade eyes flashed with a happiness Weiss still couldn't believe was at least _partially_ artificial.

But Penny's joy, the joy Weiss could so clearly see in her business partner's synthetic eyes… _nothing_ about that was artificial.

"Thanks, Penny," said Weiss.

"Ready to go?" asked Penny.

"Ready as I think we _can_ be." Weiss glanced out at the blooming red beyond the horizon of the Umbra Valley mountain range. At the still-sleeping world Blake's firstborn was awakening into.

"Let's punch it," said Weiss.

Without further comment, Penny remotely guided the transport and carried both herself and Weiss into the brightening morning sky.

xXx

Ruby was anxious the entire ride. Itching for when the pilot told her they'd entered the border of the fledgling settlement so she could get out and make her own pace.

Oh, they were making speed, alright. The wilderness of Remnant blurred by beneath her in a rush of motion. Life of all different kinds thrived down there. So many creatures going on throughout their own respective existences. All of them reduced to a quick smear of motion and haste.

Beyond, she could see the mountains growing in the distance. The sky had been purple when she'd entered the Bullhead, but now it was beginning to bleed in the eastern horizon. Ruby fidgeted and bounced in her seat, giving small prayers for her teammate to deliver the baby safely.

"How much longer?" asked Ruby to the pilot.

"A little bit. You can get yourself ready if you want, but it'll be a few minutes still until we reach the border."

Ruby rolled her entire head when she rolled her eyes. She wanted so badly to be there. In a heartbeat, she would have refused the Bullhead entirely and just used her Semblance to get back to Umbra Valley. But her endurance was surely not enough to sustain that long of a trip, nor could she safely navigate through all the forests winding through the world beyond the walls. Who knew _what_ laid out there. And not just the remaining Grimm still wandering in aimless packs after Salem's demise; _worse_ things. Secrets she could stumble across more ancient, more _terrible_ than any Grimm she could likely encounter.

Thinking about it in that way, Ruby was willing to wait until she was within the sanctuary of Umbra Valley's Null Zone for making the rest of the way on foot. At least there, all she was likely to run into were trees, buildings, and/or cars.

"Are we almost there?" Ruby asked again, unbuckling herself and standing to hold one of the overhead rungs.

"Nope. Still a few minutes, ma'am. Sorry."

Ruby groaned softly to herself. She removed her backpack and her weapon from the netted holders, returning them to her person and hopping in place anxiously as Remnant continued to blur beyond the window. The mountains were closer now.

 _But not close enough…!_

"Anxious?" asked the pilot.

"Yeah, big day for a friend," replied Ruby.

"Mind if I ask about it?"

"Ah…" Ruby thought about it for a moment, then decided to go with, "One of my friends is having her first baby today."

"Oh! Well, let her know I said congratulations! Does she live in Umbra Valley, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She does, why do you ask?"

"Oh, no real reason. She's lucky. It's a good place for kids from what I've heard. Lots of open space, what with the Null Zone keeping out all the Grimm and everything."

Ruby hadn't thought about that. The idea tossed around in her head as she took another glance out the window of the Bullhead to see the mountain range growing ever closer. Umbra Valley. It had been a boon to stumble across in the years following The Cataclysm; a piece of good news the world needed after so much darkness had taken so much from everyone and everything. Maybe it was meant to be.

Maybe.

Certainly, it warmed Ruby's heart to imagine Blake and however many more babies she would bear running around in the shade of the wide-open forests and the towering mountain range. Each of them smiling, happy, safe, and most importantly, _free._

Free to live in this world Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang had fought to save.

"Yeah," muttered Ruby. "I think she chose well, too."

"Mmhm," replied the pilot.

Nothing was spoken between the two for a few moments, Ruby simply staring out at the world stretching out beyond her.

"Drop point's almost here," said the pilot finally, "You ready, ma'am?"

Ruby snapped out from her thoughts immediately. Quickly she took out her scroll and checked the GPS system within for the route to the hospital, memorizing it in a flash of her eyes across the screen. "Yep!"

The motion of the Bullhead began to slow itself to a crawl. The side of the passanger slid open with a hiss of hydraulics as the wind whipped Ruby's cape behind her from the sudden onset of wind. Ruby went over to the pilot and handed her headpiece back as the man gave a nod and a smile.

"Let her know I said congratulations, ma'am!" yelled the pilot over the roar of the wind.

"I will, thanks!" Ruby yelled back. With a wave, she stepped backwards out into the open air and fell with a casual nonchalance. Her cape billowed in the air while she fell, but slowly glowed with a red luminescence as it straightened and elongated into a deep velvet scarf.

The pilot didn't even see Ruby hit the ground. One moment she was there, the next she blurred like a crimson scratch in the canvas of reality and was gone. Far off into the distance, the trees were disturbed by the force streaking beneath the canopy in a beeline towards the heart of the settlement.

On the horizon, the sun was beginning to breach the night.

xXx

Weiss and Penny were the first to touch down atop Umbra Valley General, and they were quick to exit the Bullhead as soon as they had done so.

"She delivered?!" shouted Weiss above the ascending roar of the departing Bullhead, dismissed by Penny's mental orders.

Penny was holding a finger in front of Weiss while she bowed in concentration. "I can see the doctor beginning to put down some of the reports into the database, but… she did deliver her baby!"

Warmth bloomed bright and beautiful in Weiss's heart from the news, her hands pressing against her mouth then her chest. "Oh my God…"

Penny lifted her head and beamed a smile brighter than any Weiss had ever seen on the AI's vibrant face. She took a few steps to the side and ran a hand through her ginger curls. "Blake's a mother…"

Another sound of engines grew ever-closer towards the two women, growing until it was directly overhead. Before both could look up-

" _Heads up!"_

There was a solid sound akin to metal colliding against concrete. Weiss flew back in surprise. Penny did not.

Yang rolled, stumbled to regain her footing, but managed to correct herself and lifted her arms in a victorious shrug. "Nailed it."

"That was fast," quipped Penny, rubbing her chin. "I suppose no one in your team takes too kindly to the concept of letting the transport land before exiting."

"Pfft. _Landing._ " Yang waved a dismissive hand at Penny. "Only sissies can't handle an unassisted drop."

"For the record," interjected Weiss, " _I_ exit vehicles like a normal person."

Again, Yang waved a hand, this time at Weiss. "You put on make-up, Weiss, you've got an _excuse_ to not woman up and jump."

Weiss lifted a slim, regal brow. "You say that as though it's a bad thing."

Yang smiled and shrugged. "I'll leave the interpretation up to you, snow angel."

Weiss narrowed her ice-blue eyes, but said nothing else.

"So, any updates on our girl?" Yang asked Penny. "How's she holding out in there?"

"She's done! She's just delivered the baby and I think… the doctor's just letting her rest a little bit," said Penny.

"She's done?" Yang's eyes grew wide with amazement. Her cybernetic hand pressed against her head and chuckled softly to herself. "Holy shit, Blake's a mama now…"

"Mmhm!" Penny nodded adamantly. Clearly, she was enjoying this.

"Do we know if it's, you know, a boy or a girl?" asked Yang.

"Well, _I_ do, but I don't really want to spoil the surprise," replied Penny. She smirked and shrugged, glancing over Yang's shoulder to say, "Isn't that right, Ruby?"

Everyone whipped around in shock at the figure in the crimson cloak which had suddenly _appeared_ behind Yang in the blink of an eye. As the rose petals dissipated from the air around her, Ruby's bandaged arms lifted from her robes, and she removed her hood.

"I think we should let Blake be the one to tell us," said Ruby. She grinned like a child.

"You know I hate it when you do that," said Weiss, clutching her heart as she tried to reclaim the elegance she'd lost with Ruby's sudden appearance. "But… you're here, at least, with the rest of us."

Yang punched her fists together in her excitement. "Aw yeah, team RWBY's back together again."

"I take it everyone's ready to go see her now?" asked Penny.

Everyone glanced around, seeing only confirming nods from all the women gathered.

"Let's go see the little one, then."

With Ruby taking the lead, team RWBY walked into the hospital.

xXx

It had been a few hours now that Dawn had been in the world. Two, if Sun was being exact. And already everything seemed to glow as though made anew. As though this morning marked the death of an old world with the birth of his wonderful little daughter.

The doctor had brought in a plastic crib to put beside Blake's bed. With Dawn now asleep, the doctor informed them it was important the baby be properly placed on her back during sleep to prevent suffocation. After Dawn was carefully placed in the little crib, Sun had maneuvered it close to Blake's bed and scooted himself closer as well. Blake was radiant; a soft, contented glow shining from her as she leaned on her side and ran her fingers along Dawn's sleeping face. It was like Blake couldn't pull herself from her daughter even if she wanted to. An invisible force compelled mother and child to one another that Blake masterfully appeased with only her soft caresses of Dawn's cheeks.

Sun wished he could put into words how much he loved seeing Blake so immaculately content. Even _he_ didn't want to hear himself say "I love you" for the septillionth time, but there really was no other way he could say it. No other way for him to emote it.

Thankfully, Blake spoke up before he did.

"I didn't think I could love someone so much," said Blake in a gentle voice. Her golden eyes shined as they remained fixed on Dawn, glittering as she giggled when Dawn grasped Blake's pinkie in her sleep.

"I'd… worried…" mumbled Sun.

Blake noticed her husband's abashed tone. She turned up and saw Sun looking down and away from her, his thumbs twitching and fumbling with one another in his lap as though he'd done something wrong. "What? Sorry, baby, I didn't hear you. You said you were…?"

Sun opened his mouth and closed it slightly, like the gaping mouth of a fish, unsure of what he was about to say. Then, he reclaimed confidence in his words and said to Blake, "I'd worried… for a long time, ever since we'd first gotten around to dating… I dunno…"

"What?" asked Blake, lifting herself a little higher on her side as she searched through her husband's expression. "What'd you worry about, Sun...?"

Sun again hesitated with his words. Blake was uncomfortable whenever she saw him do this. It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough to say the right things, but that she knew he was afraid _she'd_ think less of him because of his crude ways of speaking his mind. She'd told him time and time again she didn't care if he wasn't as good with words as she was; Blake loved him for so much more than that. But still, it seemed he hid things from her, just as she'd once hidden things from everyone around her.

Only with Sun, it was his feelings he hid. Blake wished he didn't, had _told_ Sun just as she'd shown all of herself to him, he should show all of himself to her. And so whenever a moment like this occurred, when Blake knew Sun was going to speak his heart for her to hear, she made sure not to judge or remark. Only listen. Just as he had with her.

"I'd worried…" said Sun, looking up to meet Blake's eyes while he spoke, "... that you wouldn't want to have kids in the future… that you'd not be interested in that kind of thing with anyone… even with me..."

Blake was dumbstruck. She couldn't speak for a time, could barely think beyond this revelation of her husband's. "Sun…"

Sun dropped his gaze from Blake's with a weak chuckle. "Sorry. Maybe it was wrong of me to think that about you. I'd just… I just…"

"What, Sun? Please, tell me," said Blake. "I want to know."

"I just didn't want to one day find out you weren't happy being with me," said Sun, his voice cracking as he laughed even as tears fell from his eyes. "I saw how free you were and how far you wanted yourself to go and I was so worried if you stayed with me that one day you'd feel like I was holding you back…" Sun's laughter crumbled gently, parts of his laughter trembling into sobs as he tried wiping away his tears with his wrists. "... I never… wanted to be the reason you were unhappy. And I was afraid if you had kids with me, that you'd eventually come to resent it because you couldn't do anything you used to love…"

Blake couldn't stand watching silently any longer. When she reached out to hold his wrist, Blake was relieved that he was within her reaching distance. She held his hand with both of hers over Dawn's crib, and Blake made sure to whisper so as to not wake her daughter. "Sun, look at me."

Sun wiped his face with his free hand, cleared his nose as quietly as he could manage, then turned up to meet Blake's eyes. Blake, herself, began to cry even before she could speak, and had to hold one hand to her own mouth to quiet herself. But she forgot what she was going to say in the process. She hadn't known Sun felt this way about her, hadn't known he'd kept it inside himself for so long. It tore her apart inside to think Sun thought so little of himself compared to her, and she barely noticed Sun's hand leaving hers as she fell to the bed and allowed herself to cry without restraint.

But then, Sun's arms wrapped around her so tightly, so warmly, that Blake immediately turned to hold it closer against herself while she wept. She pressed her lips to the curve of Sun's toned neck and kissed him over and over again.

"I'm sorry, Belle," said Sun in a whisper, "I'm sorry I said that. I shouldn't have-"

" _Stop it,_ " said Blake, her voice a raspy growl as she pounded her palm against his shoulder. Sun could tell her strike wasn't at all playful, and pulled back to see, to his astonishment, Blake glaring at him angrily through her tears. Before he could say anything, Blake grit her teeth and slammed the side of her fist against his chest as she said, " _Stop. It!_ You always worry about me, but what about _you?_ "

Sun turned his head down. "Blake, I-"

"' _Blake,' nothing!_ I _love you, Sun!_ I love you so much and I can't believe you worry about me so much more than you worry about yourself! You always go on and on about how much you love me, but you never stop and remember all the reasons why I love you so much! Because _you aren't a burden, dammit! You aren't a pest…! You're not..._ " Blake paused to take a breath, but she felt her lower lip tremble and the bulge in her throat throb as the truth of her words haunted her even as she spoke them. "You aren't… You aren't someone I could ever imagine resenting, Sun, don't… please, never think that I'd… that I'd ever hate you for being the father of my…"

She couldn't finish the sentence. It was too horrible for Blake to fathom, and her hand flew across her lips as she wept once more. Sun wrapped his arms around his wife's trembling figure in a flash and held her tighter than he'd ever held her ever before. He kissed her so many times he almost lost track of time entirely. He could only know it was some time later, long after he realized Blake had again wrapped her own arms around him, when Blake reached up to caress his cheek and brought her lips to his for a deep and intimate kiss. He wondered if he'd ever felt so loved by one person in his entire life.

"You," Blake whispered against Sun's lips, "are my husband. _And_ the father of my child."

Blake leaned back and met Sun's storm grey eyes, the same ones her daughter had inherited, then held his face in her hands. She smiled.

"You and I _both_ know you've gotta be pretty special to have the honor of being both," said Blake with a gentle chuckle. Sun clasped her hand against his cheek, leaned his forehead against Blake's, and reveled in the quiet peace which fell between them. Nothing more needed to be spoken, and Blake could feel her love accepted by Sun in its entirety as his love glowed as powerfully as ever towards her.

Then, gently, the door to the hallway slowly creaked open. Blake saw the movement in the corner of her vision, and she pulled away from Sun to see who it was opening the door.

A dark velvet ponytail swung softly into view, and the head it was attached to leaned out tentatively from the threshold. Ruby's silver eyes met Blake's, and she waved with a beaming recognition blooming in her countenance.

" _Hey!"_ Ruby mouthed to Blake.

Blake smiled and waved back. Sun turned, saw Ruby, and waved a warm greeting of his own.

" _Is it okay if we come in?"_ mouthed Ruby. She pointed her bandaged finger at Dawn's plastic crib, asking a wordless question.

Blake pressed a finger to her lips, then waved for Ruby to enter. Ruby nodded, and carefully pushed the door open the rest of the way as she walked in. As she did, Ruby turned back and pressed a finger to her own lips to the people behind her, waving for them to follow. Penny, Yang, and Weiss walked in, single-file, with Weiss carefully easing the door shut behind her.

In spite of how quiet it all was, the girls' greetings were as vibrant and warm as ever much to Blake's amazement. They all greeted Sun cordially, shaking his hand, patting him on the back like an old friend, then moved on to Blake as she sat up in her bed, holding her hand and leaning over to hug her tight. Like the surrogate sisters Blake had always known them to be.

" _So?"_ asked Yang with a whisper. _"Can we see her?"_

Blake nodded and pressed a finger to her lips, then leaned over to the opposite side of her bed where the crib was. When she waved, everyone carefully made their way over to the plastic crib and looked down. A collective breath of endearment and wonder rushed through the room as they saw the newborn Dawn for the very first time.

Ruby pressed both her hands against her mouth and ogled into the crib as though she'd found some long-lost treasure and wanted to let Blake know about it. _"Oh my goodness_ _ **she has your hair!**_ _"_

Blake giggled softly in agreement, and Ruby turned back down to the sleeping babe, pretending to claw her eyes out at the infant's cuteness. _"_ _ **Ho!**_ _"_

" _And she's a Monkey-Faunus, too! How remarkable! The chances of that kind of inheritance with conflicting Faunus variants are rare!"_ said Penny in her own amazed whisper.

Yang turned to Sun, who was standing at the head of the crib, and gave him wink and a sharp, playful nudge. _"I guess this one's mostly your handiwork, eh, stud?"_

Sun smiled back bashfully and gave Yang a sharp nudge of his own. _"Jump up your own ass and die, alright?"_

" _Language!"_ said Yang with a gasp, dramatically pressing her hand to her chest, then softening as she gave Sun a proud pat on his shoulder. _"You gotta work on that when you're teaching this little gem the ropes, mate."_

" _Yeah,"_ said Sun with a chuckle, _"I'll try."_

Weiss sat on the edge of Blake's bed, scooting closer to get a better look at the sleeping infant in the crib. When she saw Dawn coo softly in her sleep, Weiss felt her heart skip a beat. She looked over at Blake, who was watching Weiss with the most gentle of smiles, and reached to take hold of her friend's hand.

" _She's precious,"_ said Weiss.

Blake winked and squeezed Weiss's hand. _"Thank you."_

Ruby, her hands still on her mouth, turned back to Blake and asked, _"What's her name?"_

" _Dawn,"_ said Blake. She scooted herself closer to the plastic crib and watched her daughter sleep with overwhelming love blossoming in her chest. _"Our beautiful little Dawn…"_

All the girls collectively gave adoring "aw"'s in varying degrees.

" _Dawn,"_ said Weiss, tasting the name and finding it wonderful to speak. _"A perfect name for a little girl."_

" _Dawn Wukong, an interesting name,"_ said Penny.

" _Yeah. Dawn's a good name for her,"_ said Yang.

" _Perfect,"_ agreed Ruby.

There was a stirring in the crib, and after a series of indignant cooes, Dawn's grey eyes fluttered open to look wide-eyed at all the new faces staring down at her.

A collective gasp arose, and Blake chuckled from the sound.

" _Oh my goodness, she has your eyes!"_ said Yang, slapping Sun's arm as she looked at Dawn in awe.

" _ **Ho! Hello!**_ _"_ cried Ruby, looking down at Dawn in an even greater intensity, as though she were staring into the sun, itself. She turned back to Blake, wiggled a bandaged pinkie in the air and asked, _"Can I…? Please…?"_

Blake opened her mouth to say yes, but then eyed her team leader's velvet bandages suspiciously. "Didn't you just come back from a mission?"

"Wha-?" Ruby followed her teammate's accusing stare and knew instantly what was bothering her. She waved at Blake with a laugh. "Oh, everything's clean! The villagers I stayed with offered to wash my clothes last night. I'm clean!"

Blake's expression scrunched for one final scrutiny, then she sighed and nodded. Ruby carefully reached down into the crib with her pinkie offered to the wide-eyed Dawn. As Blake leaned over into view, she saw her daughter's wariness at the approaching appendage.

"Dawn?" said Blake.

The storm grey eyes of her daughter flicked instantly towards Blake, knowing fully well the voice of her mother. Blake's heart bloomed knowing Dawn clearly understood the sound of her voice, then she whispered softly, "It's okay, sweetie. I'm here. Mama's here. It's just mama's friend. She won't hurt you at all. I promise, baby."

There was another moment's hesitation, both Ruby and Dawn looking at Blake to make sure everything was alright, then Dawn turned away and reached up to Ruby's pinkie with a gentle giggle. The apprehension of the moment passed, and Ruby allowed Dawn's infantile hands to grasp her bandaged finger for the very first time.

"Wow…" said Ruby. She moved and flexed her captured digit in small, careful tugs, judging each movement by how much it made Dawn smile. One particular tug caused Dawn to squeal with delight, and Ruby smiled as though the child were her own offspring. "I'll always remember this. Even when she's all grown up, I'm gonna make sure I remember the first time I ever touched this wonderful little girl…"

Blake watched her friend and daughter connect so beautifully before her, then said, "You know… if you want to… you can hold her."

Ruby carefully curled her pinkie back and lifted her arm as she stared at Blake in shock. "O-Oh, n-no, Blake, if something went wrong-"

A gleeful cry from the crib broke Ruby's words. When everyone looked back at Dawn, they saw the baby girl grasping with both her fists up at Ruby as she cooed with more excitement than before.

"I don't think that's up to me," said Blake with a laugh. She smiled at Ruby, then turned to Sun. "Babe, could you pick her up and show Ruby how to hold her right?"

Sun stepped beside Blake and touched her hand with his fingers. He looked at her with a questioningly lifted brow. "You're _sure_ you're okay about that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure! We're both gonna be right here, just hand her off to Ruby then take her right back," said Blake.

Sun shrugged, then reached into the crib with both hands and extracted his now very vocal daughter from within. His eyes remained locked on his daughter while he walked to Ruby, then he turned to her and said, "See how I'm holding her? Just like this; rest her head in the crook of your elbow and hold her just like you think you would. It's just as easy as it looks."

Ruby smiled, giddy with excitement. She nodded and opened her arms to Sun. Just as Sun told her, Ruby rested Dawn's head in the crook of her elbow and it all was just as easy as it looked. Ruby took two steps back, and was delighted to know she was carrying the first child of team RWBY here in her very own arms.

And Dawn was absolutely loving it.

"You got her, right?" asked Sun.

"Yeah, I have her, I have her," said Ruby. She turned and walked around the bed to the window, Sun following closely beside. Upon reaching the window, Ruby opened the blinds to let the growing morning sun to pour through in earnest. The view of the Forever Fall forest and the mountain range in the distance was nothing short of breathtaking.

"You see that, little cutie? That's the world your mama and her friends fought for," said Ruby, bouncing Dawn in her arms. The child glanced out the window, her grey eyes flashing like lightning in the glint of the morning sun. Ruby held the child closer in her arms, reaching around to stroke Dawn's little black bangs with her bandaged fingers. "It's blooming for you, baby. It bloomed just for you."

Dawn felt Ruby's fingers across her forehead and immediately renewed her efforts to try and snatch them for herself. She succeeded, and Ruby moved her out of the sunlight with a chuckle and a sigh.

"This is your world now, sweet child," said Ruby. "Our gift to you."

Sun was standing before Ruby, smiling but obviously wanting Dawn to be returned to him.

Ruby looked down at Dawn one last time. "Dawn?"

The child reacted to her name, much to Ruby's amazement. A smart girl. Just like her mama.

"My name's Ruby Rose, but you can call me auntie Ruby. I'm the guardian of your world." Ruby ran her bandaged fingers gently across the smooth surface of Dawn's cheek, and laughed. "It's so good to finally meet you, Dawn."

When Ruby was done, Dawn was returned to Sun's arms. As Ruby stepped back to wipe the tears from her eyes, Penny stepped forward to take her place with arms opened. "May I?"

Sun glanced over at Blake, who nodded her consent. Sun turned back to Penny and said, "Alright, just like I told Ruby, you hold-"

"I know how to hold a baby, Sun! I've been ready since Blake first told us she was expecting!" said Penny, giggling with a warm kindness as she continued with, "It's okay, Sun. I'll take care of her. Trust me."

Sun took a breath, exhaled with a smile, and allowed Dawn to be passed along into Penny's open arms. As she'd promised, Penny held Dawn perfectly in her embrace, cradling her almost better than even Blake had.

Penny then turned and began humming softly to herself, bouncing Dawn in her arms as she walked a small circle across the room. Penny returned Dawn to Blake's arms, then knelt beside the bed. Only watching as Dawn stared up at her mother with wonder.

"A little over seven pounds, light grey eyes, black hair, Monkey-Faunus variant with prehensile primate tail phenotype, and female," said Penny. She reached over to caress Dawn's small tail in her fingers, then reached farther and stroked the babe's temple just as Ruby had and smiled. "A beautiful, healthy baby girl…"

Penny stood and leaned over the bed. "Dawn?"

Dawn looked up into Penny's kind smile, her eyes wide with wonder as she saw Penny's glow with a bright green light. Penny gave a wink and a gentle salute and said, "I'm Penny Polendina, a friend of your mama's. But you can call me auntie Penny when you're capable of speaking! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The child was silent for a moment, then saw the glow of Penny's green eyes pulse again and alighted to the sight. Penny hummed a loving chuckle and said, "I'll always be here to help you, sweetie. Don't you worry one little bit."

"Okay, okay, okay, it's my turn to see the little sugar cube, eh?" Yang said as she took the place of Penny and gazed down at the little girl in Blake's arms. "Hey there, squirt! Heyo…"

Dawn heard the new voice and saw the glowing pattern of Yang's cybernetic arm flash as it waved its fingers at her with amazed wonder. She flailed her arms gleefully as Yang brought her hands to scoop up the newborn and bounced Dawn carefully in her arms.

"Goodness, you're a lively one, aren'tcha?" said Yang as she sat herself on the edge of Blake's bed. She could see Dawn was enjoying the plush warmth of her ample breasts as well as the gently humming warmth of her robotic hand. Every time Dawn leaned her little head into Yang's careful caress or burrowed herself deeper into Yang's embrace, Yang felt her heart beat a warmth warmer than any she'd ever felt before. It reminded her of when she'd taken care of Ruby when they were just kids. This was a little girl she would once again protect with the diligence of a paladin, but if the situation arose, defend with the fury of a dragon.

"It's been a long time since I've wanted to protect someone so much," Yang said to Blake.

Blake smiled. "Me, too."

"She's beautiful," said Yang.

Blake nodded. "Thank you…"

Blake knew her teammate needed to say little else to emote her love for the babe she held; it was written all over her face as her lavender eyes remained on Dawn as she curled into the warmth of her arms. Yang stood and stepped around beside Blake and caressed Dawn's face one last time.

"Heyo, Dawn. I'm Yang Xiao Long, but you can call me auntie Yang for short." Yang chuckled. "Or you can call me 'Kickass Aunt.'"

Dawn cocked her head with a confused babble. Blake shot Yang a glare.

"Yang."

"Alright, alright, when you're older, when you're older." Yang returned Dawn to Blake and gave a playful wink. "You made a real cutie, Blake."

Blake giggled, then turned to Weiss and said, "Weiss?"

Weiss jumped a little, having been lost in thought when Blake called on her.

"W-What do you need?" asked Weiss, looking frantically around for the reason why she was called.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hold Dawn," said Blake. She looked closer at her teammate and saw her fidgeting as though she were nervous, and asked, "Weiss? Is everything alright?"

"Wha…? Y-Yeah, of course! I, uh…" Weiss waved a hand at Blake and nodded her head. "S-Sure I'll hold her."

Blake bounced Dawn once in her arms as though to invite Weiss. Weiss's smile cracked ever-so slightly, but she said nothing as she walked over. Once there, Blake held Dawn carefully out to Weiss. "Just like Sun told Ruby to hold her, okay?"

Weiss hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head. "O-Okay…"

Weiss opened her arms, accepting Dawn into her embrace as easily as holding a seven-pound loaf of bread. The room was unusually silent while she held the babe in her arms, adding to the rushing sound of Weiss's heart as it beat loudly in her chest.

It shocked her how much of both parents Dawn had taken after, but it was clear without any reasonable doubt that Dawn had taken most heavily after her father. Her little black tail twitched with delight beside her head, and her storm grey eyes…

Her eyes…

" _That filthy Faunus from the boat!"_

They were her father's eyes…

" _Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can?"_

And they were beautiful and kind and pure and innocent and…

" _Monkey-tailed rapscallion!"_

And they were Sun's...

" _Faunus riff-raff!"_

And they were...

" _Filthy Faunus!"_

And she...

" _Dirty Animals!"_

… couldn't breathe...

" _Thieves!"_

" _Liars!"_

" _Murderers!"_

"Weiss!"

A hand landed on Weiss's shoulder and she gasped in shock. She whipped around to see it was Sun who'd brought her out of her thoughts. His eyes were searching her face, which had grown paler than her typical complexion.

"Weiss?" asked Sun. He squinted his eyes to look closer at something on her face, then said, "You're… crying…?"

Weiss suddenly became conscious of the excess moisture she felt in her eyes. She whipped around to see the worried looks on everyone's faces. She took a step back, making sure she was still holding Dawn securely in her arms…

… She remembered she was still holding Blake's daughter in her arms…

"Weiss?" asked Blake.

A wave of nausea writhed inside Weiss's stomach. She walked to Blake and carefully returned Dawn to her mother, where she belonged.

"Weiss, ah!" Blake took Dawn back into her arms. "Weiss!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't… I can't hold her…" said Weiss in a rush of whispers.

Weiss turned to leave and Blake reached out to hold her teammate's wrist, but Weiss quickly freed herself with a savage yank.

"Weiss!" cried Blake.

Weiss reached the door before anyone could react, and left the room in a hurry.

A stunned silence remained over everyone present in the room. Blake turned down to Dawn, whose beautiful little face was contorting into a sadness preceding the wailing which came soon after. Instinct took over immediately, and Blake rocked her daughter in her arms, shushing her and whispering sweet nothings in the hopes the babe would calm down.

Once Dawn's cries had eased into small moans of discontent, Blake looked up at Ruby and said, "What're you doing? Go after her!"

At Blake's words, Ruby's stunned silence disintegrated. Her silver eyes sharpened, and Ruby glanced over to Yang.

"Open the door," she said.

Yang did.

Everyone blinked. A sharp rush of air and space whirled about the small confines of the hospital room.

When Dawn opened her eyes, she pawed up at the rose petals with absolute delight, giggling as they disappeared one by one into thin air.

xXx

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," was all Weiss could say as she made her way through the hospital. Bumping into doctors, patients, and anyone else in her way.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

She had to get out of here. She had to go somewhere where people wouldn't look at her and know her immediately upon sighting her. Somewhere where she couldn't see the world her family had tormented so mercilessly. Somewhere she could go that could give her the power to undo all the wrong things her name had ever been tied to.

"I didn't mean to do it… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…"

Weiss wanted to escape from here more than anything else in the world. To never corrupt that wonderful little angel with all the hate and bigotry she once embraced so easily. She focused on this one singular goal as she trudged on through the hospital.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, excuse me. Please, excuse me. My bad. I apologize, please, I'm sorry…"

Ahead the entrance to the hospital came into view.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me…"

Weiss wiped the tears from her eyes and walked faster towards the exit.

"F-Forgive me… Please, God, forgive m-me… Please forgive me… Please, God, forgive me…"

She didn't register the sudden appearance of the crimson-cloaked figure standing before her before Weiss ran headlong into it.

"Ah!" cried Weiss, side-stepping the person without thinking as she said, "I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me-"

A powerful hand bandaged in velvet snapped out and grabbed Weiss's wrist like a vice.

"I didn't think the woman who ended Salem's Cataclysm would run away when faced with a newborn child," said Ruby.

Weiss didn't even try to escape from Ruby's grip. Only rasped a low sigh and said after a moment's silence, "I can't hold that baby girl, Ruby."

"Yes you can," said Ruby. "You just did."

"You know what I've done! The things my family has done to people like Blake and Sun! To every Faunus on this planet! The things that came out of my mouth, the things I said about Sun, about Blake, the things I believed growing up viewing the world through my father's eyes…" Weiss's voice cracked while she spoke. She lifted her free wrist to furiously wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't… I don't deserve to touch that little girl… Not after everything I've done… I can't… I can't bear knowing what she'll think of me when she grows up and learns what my family did to her kind, I can't… Oh God, I… I can't…"

Ruby stood as silent as ever and watched her teammate quietly weep beside her. The hospital bustled and continued to move all around the two, only a spare handful of people giving the occasional glance in their direction. The longer Ruby waited, the more composed Weiss seemed to become. And not long after, Weiss straightened herself tall and proper as usual, giving her eyes and nose a final, careful wipe.

"You ready to go back, now?" asked Ruby, as casually as a parent would ask their child if they were ready to leave for a trip.

Weiss, after a moment's hesitation, nodded and said in a small voice, "Yeah."

Ruby tugged gently at Weiss's wrist, and the two women walked silently back to Blake's room and entered through the door. Weiss turned her head up from her feet and immediately gasped in shock.

Blake, it seemed, had gotten up from her bed with the assistance of Sun and Yang and was carrying Dawn in her arms while she did.

"Belle, are you sure you should be walking at all? You just got through delivery and now you want to _get up?_ " asked Sun.

"I'm fine," said Blake, "just help me a little bit. I'm just a little sore, that's all. I can walk just fine."

"I'm with Sun, Blake," said Yang. "You should just wait-"

"I said I can walk!"

"Blake!" cried Weiss.

" _What?!_ " Blake said through a growl, realizing it was Weiss who'd asked. When she saw Ruby and Weiss standing in the doorway, Blake's eyes narrowed at Weiss. " _You._ "

Weiss dreaded facing her Faunus friend, but forced herself to hurry to Blake's side to help her stand with Dawn in her arms.

"Blake, you should be resting in bed, _you're still sore_ ," said Weiss.

"I don't care about that, I want to know why you ran off!" Blake said.

Weiss winced at the sharp question and was silent for a passing moment. She glanced back at Ruby for a reason even she didn't completely understand, but was met only by the cold glare of her leader's silver eyes.

 _Tell her._

"Well?" asked Blake, her question sharp and deliberate. Weiss turned back around to see Blake's golden eyes staring daggers into her, flashing with impatience. "I'm waiting!"

Weiss glanced down once and saw Dawn looking up with wide-eyed confusion at her mother's anger. After a moment, the babe's storm-grey irises flicked over to Weiss and remained. Recognition flashed across the babe's expression, and a smile grew across her soft lips.

"I… I don't…" Weiss stuttered, then breathed a tired sigh. "I don't deserve to hold her, Blake…"

Blake's reaction wasn't nearly as severe as Weiss had feared, but the confusion on her teammate's face was clearly one of horror and disbelief. "Why… Why would you say something like that, Weiss? She's my daughter, of course you deserve to hold her! Wha-?"

Weiss wrapped her arms tight across her chest, tried not to meet Blake's pleading gaze as she said, "After everything my family's done to the Faunus? After everything they've done to this whole planet? And…"

Weiss turned a sad glance to Sun, but couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze as she said, "... The way I've treated Sun, too…? It was ugly. Hateful. I'm ugly. And hateful."

Blake remained in stunned silence. Weiss turned back to look at Blake, then shook her head in a solemn defeat.

"I grew up like this, was a part of this all my life… and…" Weiss smiled through her falling tears. "... I don't want to see the look on your daughter's face… when she's old enough to know what her auntie Weiss did to her people…"

Weiss wiped her tears from her face with a sharp sob, then turned on her heel to leave.

"You know what I'm gonna tell my daughter, Weiss?!" cried Blake. "What I'm gonna tell her about her auntie Weiss?!"

Weiss froze, shut her eyes tight and waited for the inevitable barrage. Not a barrage of hateful words, no. Weiss knew Blake better than that, knew her teammate enough to know she wouldn't grant Weiss the satisfaction of accepting her for the monster she demonized herself to be. No, what Weiss prepared for were the kind words she knew Blake would say about her.

And in a way, that would be infinitely more painful to endure than had Blake agreed with Weiss.

Weiss hated many things, many, many things, but she really did hate it when someone proved her wrong.

Weiss thought all of this, her body tightly clenched, waiting. Waiting for the scalding truth she'd forgotten in her despair to wash over her in all of Blake's masterful and eloquent fury. She waited for Blake to answer in the encroaching silence. Waited. And waited.

But Blake didn't speak.

There was no sound in the room.

Save for the gentle, tentative shuffle of bare feet coming to a stop right beside her.

Weiss slowly opened her eyes. As she'd suspected, Blake was standing beside her with Dawn still cradled in her arms. Blake was smiling at Weiss, and the Schnee heiress was both terrified and relieved at the sight of it.

"I'm gonna tell my daughter that out of all of her amazing aunties, out of all the people her mama loved and cared for besides her papa," said Blake, "I'd trust no one else to be a better godmother for her than her auntie Weiss."

No negative thoughts dared to enter Weiss's mind. No thoughts _at all_ could enter her mind. It was as though the wind had been knocked out of her, but still, somehow, she could still breathe just fine.

She was so stunned, she hadn't noticed Blake offer Dawn for her to hold. Nor did she notice when she accepted the babe into her arms without a moment's hesitation.

Eventually, one word managed to echo through the empty space of her stunned mind, and Weiss felt the word escape her as she asked, "W-Why…?"

"Besides all the money?" said Blake with a chuckle. Weiss joined with an uneasy laugh of her own, then fell quiet as Blake pressed close to her. Blake's arms wrapping quietly around Weiss's to better hold the smiling Dawn she held, then looked Weiss dead in her ice-blue eyes and said, "I'd trust her auntie Weiss to treat her like a precious gem. I'd trust her auntie Weiss to understand the things that make her like her mother, both the good and the bad. I'd trust her auntie Weiss to just as ready to spoil her as to put her foot down like she always did when she and her mama adventured together. But most importantly? I'd trust her auntie Weiss because even though she was part of the monster that ruined so many lives, grew up in its shadow, even helped it from time to time because she knew no better, she knows, just like her mama knows, what it means to love enough to see through the darkness and change for the better. What it means to leave behind the person you were to become the person you are now."

Blake reached up and carefully, softly, dashed a stray tear making its way down Weiss's cheek.

"Weiss Schnee," said Blake, "a woman like you- a friend like you- who worries that she isn't worthy to love another, will always deserve to hold my children."

As Blake ran her hand through Weiss's white tresses to pull their foreheads gently together, Weiss did not weep in sorrow this time.

"Thank you, Blake… Thank you so much…" whispered Weiss.

Blake shook her head. "You'll be fine. I promise."

"You'll be a wonderful mother, Blake. I swear you will."

"And you'll be a wonderful aunt. I know it, Weiss."

Dawn giggled with glee in Weiss's arms, enchanted by the light of the fresh sunrise dancing in her aunt's silvery hair, reaching up as though to grab the newborn morning in her dimpled little fists.

 **xXx**

 **A/N: Loved writing this chapter. The original idea of the "Her Beautiful Dawn" arc actually started when I imagined how Weiss's guilt of her family's sins would manifest in her as an adult. I figured every time she saw either of Blake's babies, some dark corner of her mind would whisper in her ear all the bad things her family had to do with the Faunus growing up in the household she did.**

 **And of course, if Weiss loves Dawn and Dusk even a fraction as much as I know she does, I knew her guilt would hit hardest the first time she held Dawn in her arms.**

 **And Weiss does love her niece and nephew. Loves them as though they were her own children.**

 **As does the rest of team RWBY.**

 **(And team SSSN, too. Though I don't mention them at all throughout "Her Beautiful Dawn," you can rest assured Sun's team arrived shortly after to congratulate Sun and Blake for the new addition to the family. I was just way too lazy to write them in, lel.)**

 **So yep. Chapter 8 will take us back to the mayhem of Adam's Funeral, which I will try and start editing way earlier than I began trying to edit this chapter. After that, I will be dedicating all of my writing efforts to finishing the first draft of "Eternal Autumn" for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).**

 **And I am going to fucking finish that first fucking draft of "Eternal Autumn" by the end of November even if it fucking kills me.**

 **Send me good NaNoWriMo vibes by leaving a review and following & favoriting this story! And don't forget to follow me on Tumblr at "youweremeanttobehere"/"To Write Is Human, To Edit Is Divine"!**

 **And of course, happy Halloween…**

 **HUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEHUEEUHEUHEUHUE…**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **Hourglass," "Spectrum"**_ **– Zedd,** _ **"Clarity"**_

" _ **The Veldt – 8 Minute Edit"**_ **– deadmau5,** _ **"The Veldt (feat. Chris James)**_

" _ **Firelight"**_ **– Young the Giant,** _ **"Mind Over Matter"**_

" _ **Don't You Worry Child," "Royals"**_ **– Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox,** _ **"Twist is the New Twerk"**_

" _ **Fountain of Life"**_ **– Two Steps from Hell,** _ **"Miracles"**_

" _ **Mother's Song"**_ **– Masakatsu Takagi,** _ **"Wolf Children Soundtrack"**_

" _ **The Moment I Said It"**_ **– Imogen Heap,** _ **"Speak For Yourself"**_

" _ **Up, Up, & Away" **_**– Kid Cudi,** _ **"Man On The Moon: The End Of Day"**_

 **And just to be redundant; another gracious, genuine thanks to all my readers and supporters. You know who you are. All of you.**

 **Thank every single one of you beautiful, wonderful, unique people for finding some kind of worth in my writings.**

 **Until next time,**

 **M.E. Grimm**


	8. The Ghost of You

**Author's Greetings:**

 **Still don't own RWBY. Nope. I don't.**

 **Winter break is back, thank Christ, and I actually have time to write again. Sadly, I have only, like, 12 days left to try and finish the first draft of "Eternal Autumn" before 2016 lets out.**

 **And you can bet your ass I'm gonna fight to make that deadline even if I am gonna spend four of those days at my relatives'.**

 **Fun.**

 **This semester is over, and it's been a long and rough one all things considered. But I came out the other end a little smarter, a little taller, much better read, and with a group of new potential friends I wouldn't have had had I not struggled.**

 **Some fights are worth fighting in retrospect, even the ones you end up losing. You don't walk away the same as when you walked in, and sometimes that's just plain old for the best.**

 **Case in point, this chapter.**

 **The gloves are officially off, now, and the pain train is running full steam ahead.**

 **Prepare your butts.**

 **(** **͡** **͜ʖ** **͡** **°) (** **͡** **͜ʖ** **͡** **°) (** **͡** **͜ʖ** **͡** **°)**

 **And as always, hope you enjoy. ;)**

 **-M.E. Grimm**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Eight: The Ghost of You**_ _ **)**_

 _ **("I Bet My Life"- Part 4)**_

" _And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me_

 _For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me…"_

 **My Chemical Romance,** _ **"The Ghost of You"**_

xXx

 _Directly after Chapter Six..._

Dusk had absolutely nothing to say. Nothing to think about or do. Just sit there in proper form beside his mother on the knee-high table as the man named Grimbeorn poured a wonderfully fragrant tea into three separate cups.

"The boy likes tea, I presume?" asked Grimbeorn, not lifting his gaze from the tea he poured. His form of pouring was executed with an almost ritualistic perfection. As though it were a kind of art form the man had mastered long ago.

"Y-Yes, he does," said Blake. Her voice pierced the gentle quiet of what Dusk assumed to be the living room. It was wonderfully spacious and welcoming to the eyes; ancient, clearly. And yet, something in the old art scattered around the walls of the room, about the finely sculpted and painted pottery tastefully placed about the home that made it feel like just that to Dusk.

Home.

 _("What're you doing up so late, Blake?")_

Dusk shook his head. This was not his home.

Blake glanced down at her son while he rubbed his eyes. She combed her fingers through his golden locks.

An ease of Grimbeorn's wrist, and the flow of tea ceased. He glanced one jade eye at Blake through a cloud of unkempt black-grey hair with a cold hardness. "The question was for him, not you."

Dusk felt his mother's hands leave his hair. Looking up, Grimbeorn held his hardened jade stare upon Dusk. He was pouring the tea into the second cup without even looking at it. "Well, boy? Did your mother steal your tongue, or did you not inherit her proclivity of speaking her mind whenever she pleased?"

Dusk's throat pulsed as he swallowed. He wondered if the sound echoed through the halls. He could swear it must have. As he opened his mouth to answer, Grimbeorn mimicked by gaping his own mouth open, then cocking his head in a gesture of silent impatience. Dismay fell on Dusk, then frustration. He straightened his shoulders and said, "I have a name, sir."

A shift of Grimbeorn's wrist, and the tea stopped pouring. His jade green eyes rolled up to Dusk in a way that sent a shiver down his spine.

"I know you do, Dusk Wukong," said Grimbeorn with a snort. "And it would seem you _have_ inherited your mother's willful nature. But you still haven't answered my original question."

Grimbeorn gently moved the ornate clay teapot over the final, unfilled teacup and eyed Dusk with a gentle, questioning glance.

"Do you like tea, Dusk Wukong?" asked Grimbeorn a second time.

Dusk nodded and said, "Yes."

Grimbeorn's scruffy expression curled into a scruffy, old, leathery smile, then he tipped the teapot and began to pour. "Very well. Be it so."

The room was silent as the grave. When he finished, he carefully placed the teapot back onto the gentle fire from whence it came, offered Blake her teacup, took his own, and gave Dusk the final cup. Dusk nodded a respectful thanks as did his mother, and saw Blake wait for Grimbeorn to take the first drink before she took hers. He drank after she did.

It was the most wonderful tea he had ever drank in his entire life, and Dusk-

 _("This is the best tea I've ever tasted!")_

-had to shake his head to halt the familiarity creeping in from the corners of his thoughts. He wasn't sure how good idea it would be to drink any more of the tea, but he didn't want to be rude. And, the tea _was_ really, really tasty.

"I'd forgotten how delicious your tea was, master," said Blake as she smiled into her tea cup. She looked down to Dusk and softly asked, "Do you like it?"

Dusk noticed his mother's question and nodded his head. "It's really tasty."

"It's made from the leaves of a chamomile that grows only on this island," said Grimbeorn. His powerful voice took command of the conversation as soon as he spoke, but Dusk could feel no malevolence in its reign. He glanced at Dusk and nodded imperceptibly at him, the corners of his lips curling into the faintest of smiles. "Glad to know the heir to the Belladonna lineage will continue the tradition of enjoying it."

Dusk lowered his cup from his lips, his kitten ears twitching curiously. "Wh… What do you mean 'heir?'"

Grimbeorn's expression faltered. He turned his questioning glare at Blake, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. When Dusk also glanced over his shoulder to try and see his mother's reaction, she only tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear and looked away.

"Blake..." asked Grimbeorn, "did you not tell your children?"

"Didn't tell me what?" asked Dusk, looking frantically between his mother and the old swordsman. "Mama, what's he talking about?"

A ceramic clack brought Dusk's attention back to Grimbeorn. He'd placed his tea cup back down onto the table and leaned forward towards Dusk with an air of complete and utter seriousness.

"Dusk," Grimbeorn said, speaking carefully to make sure Dusk completely understood the weight of his words, "your mother was the daughter of a White Fang Chieftain."

Dusk shook his head. "I-I don't understand, what's-?"

Blake broke her silence with a long, mournful sigh as she said, "Baby… my father was the Chieftain of Menagerie and formerly… the High Leader of the White Fang."

Dusk's eyes grew wide with shock and revelation.

"You have high-born Faunus blood running through your veins, Dusk," said Grimbeorn. "The last male heir to the one of the founding clans of the White Fang: House Belladonna."

Blake slammed her tea cup onto the table and Dusk jumped. When he looked over at his mother, he saw her golden eyes burning with a fury aimed directly at Grimbeorn.

" _His name,_ " growled Blake, "is Dusk Wukong. He's an ordinary boy, and the son I bore by Sun Wukong, my husband and the love of my life. End of story."

Grimbeorn met Blake's stare and lifted an agitated brow. "He's one of the only surviving heirs of any of the clans of the high council after The Cataclysm."

Dusk saw something flash before his eyes-

 _(THE BOY COULD BE THE HEIR TO THE WHOLE OF THE WHITE FANG.)_

-when he looked too closely at Grimbeorn. Something that sent a shiver down his spine. Something heavy and hard, like a ring of iron had been placed upon his head.

"You say that like it's any concern of mine how much the high council has suffered under the wake of a Cataclysm they had a hand in bringing about. I have nothing to do with the White Fang anymore, and neither does my family." Blake lifted her tea to her lips for another drink, this one much longer than the last.

Dusk blushed to himself, then took another drink after her. Grimbeorn watched him the whole time, his cold stare softening into one of admiration.

"I must admit… I never thought I'd see the day when Blake Belladonna would return to me with a little boy nipping at her heels," said Grimbeorn.

Blake chuckled without humor. Almost like it was its own kind of audible shrug. "I never thought I'd return at all."

"Taking an undeliberate action? You?" Grimbeorn laughed like a low rumble beneath the earth. "We both know you better than that, my disgraced pupil. You came back here for a reason."

Blake took another drink of her tea, then placed her cup down on the table and said, "I'm here to bury Adam."

Grimbeorn's laugh was powerful and filled to the brim with mockery. Dusk looked to see if his mother would do anything, but she only sat beside him with her eyes trained to the ground, embarrassed but helpless to challenge her master's reaction. When the laughter ceased, Grimbeorn eyed Blake and said, "You came because it's _safe_ now. Or relatively so, now that my _other_ disgraced student met his end as they all have."

Dusk's eyes grew wide. "You… trained mister Adam?"

" _Trained?!_ " shouted Grimbeorn. Dusk flinched back in fear, but Grimbeorn didn't relent as he said, "I _made_ him. Raised him and your mother as though they were my own flesh and blood and taught them how to _defend_ themselves from the sapient pigs who wished to subjugate them! Who wished to subjugate _all of us!_ "

Dusk was silent. Beside him, Dusk could see the obvious discomfort in Blake's expression from the term, "sapient pigs," but said nothing on the matter. Across from him, Grimbeorn's pride eased from his shoulders, and with a calming breath, he took another drink from his tea and said, "Time's changed everything and everyone. Me, my lovely niece, your disgraced mother, even Adam. Everything's changed."

Dusk bristled with anger, his little fists clenching against his knees. "I don't like it when you call my mama 'disgraced.' She didn't do anything to be called such a mean word."

Grimbeorn halted lifting his teacup to his lips and looked at Dusk with a questioning glance. Blake's hand wrapped around her son's and squeezed it lovingly. _Thank you_ , the gesture said. Blake remained silent, regardless.

"Trust me, boy," said Grimbeorn, "you _do not want me to correct you on that little error of your thinking._ "

"My son has nothing to do with this," said Blake, finally breaking through the squabble. "Though I know exactly _why_ you _think_ I'm here with him, you can just throw that little notion out the door. I am here to bury Adam, and that is exactly what I meant when I said it. Whether or not my son came with me is irrelevant. I would still be here to bury him and my ties with him with or without my boy."

Grimbeorn eyed Blake from the corner of his sight. He leaned back, easing himself from his argumentative slouch and took another drink of his tea with a careful, tasting tedium. After he was done, he seemed to Dusk to age a hundred years forward as he stared out longingly at the house around him. It was like watching a mountain stone grow moss before your very eyes. The erosion of age was clear.

"You came at a rather turbulent time to do so, I'm afraid. Though I guess it couldn't be helped, since it's largely happening in part of Adam's death, anyways," said Grimbeorn.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake.

"I mean that everything is changing inside of the White Fang. I'm sure you wouldn't hear anything about it in your corporate sapient media, but after your pig Schnee teammate decided to play the benevolent oligarch and take in Theodora Stella because of her information regarding Salem's influence, the White Fang has been in complete and utter upheaval," said Grimbeorn.

Dusk bristled with anger, but Blake retorted before he could. " _My friend, Weiss_ , is the only reason the White Fang wasn't completely obliterated in the aftermath of The Cataclysm. If Theodora hadn't defected with the information she had, _everyone_ in the White Fang would have been hunted down and executed without remorse. Not that I would have particularly cared if that was what happened. Especially after the fall of Beacon."

"Did I say that I loathed your Schnee friend for what she did? Of course what she did was necessary. I commend the strength she possesses to be willing to take the ax to everything her fascist father built on the world's sufferings." Grimbeorn took another drink of his tea. "And you know full well how little I cared for the New Guard when you and Adam fell head over heels for it. Being here while Salem's Disciples were being weeded out was… cathartic, to say the least."

"So then why do you still hate her?" asked Blake.

Grimbeorn met her gaze and said, "Because she's a Schnee."

Blake continued to glare at her master, but the old swordsman continued to stare with unflinching resolve. After a moment, Blake relented with a sigh. "She isn't like her family, Master."

"I'm sure she isn't," said Grimbeorn without even the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"She really isn't," said Dusk. "Auntie Weiss always comes to check on us and talk with us and give us nice presents and-"

Blake's hand grabbed Dusk's again, this time more forceful. Dusk looked up and saw Grimbeorn's eyes clasped shut, his jaw-

 _(A SCHNEE SPEAKING WITH THE GRANDCHILDREN OF KALI?! THE INSOLENCE, THE ARROGANCE OF THAT BITCH! NO RIGHT SHE HAS! NO RIGHT! NONE! NOT AFTER EVERYTHING HER FAMILY HAS DONE!)_

-clenched tight, his teacup trembling beneath the subdued rage coiling underneath his taut forearms. The old master's breaths were low and measured, but loud and forcibly controlled. After a few moments of seething silence, Grimbeorn's body relaxed enough for him to take another drink.

"I'm sure she is a good person, Dusk. And I'm glad that she is to you, truly," said Grimbeorn as he placed his teacup carefully back down on the table. "But I know too much of what her family has done, and others like her who have carried their power for so long over our kind for me to be able to forgive her. I may not ever forgive her. I certainly won't forgive her family. And that is simply how it is."

"And what about Ms. Stella? Do you hate her?" asked Dusk.

"Who do you think gave the order for me to help in her escape?" said Goldberry, walking into the room with a tray held in both her hands. When she knelt beside the table, she moved the tray onto the middle of the table. Four white ceramic masks painted with dashes of red looked up at them all with empty eyes. A raccoon. A doe. A bear. And a cat.

Dusk's eyes were alight with wonder. "Woah, these are really pretty, Ms. Goldberry! Did you make them?"

Goldberry giggled with delight, then said, "Yep! I've been making them non-stop, per my uncle's orders."

"Wait, what for?" asked Blake.

Grimbeorn grinned at Blake. "To mark a new beginning for our people. Wear visages bearing not the faces of monsters, but for those who we truly are."

Blake shivered, but somehow didn't feel quite so worried as she might have thought she should have been. Looking at the masks, she saw that they were, indeed, beautiful. She reached for the cat mask, but Dusk had it in his hands before she could take it.

"May I?" Dusk asked Goldberry.

"Of course!" answered Goldberry. "I made it to show your mama, but I think it'll do just fine for you."

"W-Wait, Dusk," said Blake.

Dusk hesitated, looked up at his mother with his beautiful golden eyes. "What is it, mama?"

Blake discovered she had nothing at all to say, no reason why her son shouldn't wear this simple, innocent mask. It was a strange feeling to accept, a strange concept to wrap her head around; a mask she had no reason at all to fear. Finally, Blake lowered her hand and relented. "N-Nothing. Go ahead, put it on. I want to see how it looks on you."

Dusk did. It was comfortable, and the eyes were spaced just right. Even though he had to hold it against his face because it had no sting-tie yet, it felt to Dusk as though he wasn't wearing a mask at all. He looked up to his mother and asked, "How does it look?"

Blake was again shocked. Her son's kitten ears perking up while he wore the mask made him seem like a beautiful painting come to life. His golden eyes shined bright with excitement through the mask, and Blake smiled as warmth bloomed beneath her breast.

"It looks beautiful," said Blake. She combed her fingers through Dusk's curly hair, scratched a bit behind his kitten ears, then asked, "May I?"

Dusk removed the mask with a nod, handing it to her without hesitation. She put it on and looked down at Dusk through it, asking him, "So? How do I look?"

Her golden eyes seemed to glow through the mask, giving the mask an ethereal, almost haunting look that sent a shiver down Dusk's spine. He almost didn't even recognize her because of her hair sheared short, but her eyes were always there in the mask. Golden, soft, wise, motherly, and beautiful.

"Really freaky, but, like, in a really cool way," said Dusk.

Goldberry and Blake both laughed. Blake removed the mask and returned it to Goldberry. "I think you did a good job with it, then."

"Yeah, no kidding," said Goldberry, placing the mask amongst the others with a contented sigh. "It does what it's intended to do."

"Which is?" asked Blake.

"Show us as we truly are." Goldberry lifted the doe mask up to her face as an example, her aquamarine eyes glimmering through like an ocean crystallized within. It was striking to behold, Blake had to admit. Beauty and power coiling in a simple doe mask.

"You do a wonderful job of making it show," said Blake.

Goldberry removed the mask and smiled. "Thanks!"

"But," said Blake, "do you really think a few new masks is really going to change the way the entire White Fang feels about this?"

"It's already begun," said Goldberry. "Like my uncle said, the 'New' Guard was losing sway even before Adam died. When Theodora managed to defect and reveal what she'd learned to the world, our people were quick to weed out the zealots in our midst. We no longer wanted any part of the war mongers who tarnished the White Fang's name beyond all repair."

"I've always told my pupils to wait for the opportune moment to strike," said Grimbeorn. "As I raised my niece to always be wary of Adam and others like him, I instructed her to take hold of the people's will to change now while it was fresh and clear in their minds. We've gotten well over a majority of White Fang members to our side, and they all agree that to survive, we must change our ways."

"And what does that entail?" asked Blake.

To her shock, Grimbeorn only shrugged and said, "I do not know."

Dusk furrowed his brow in confusion. "How can you not know?"

Goldberry was the one who answered. "Well, our biggest plan was to simply wean everyone away from the fervency of crusading that Salem's Disciples cultivated into us all. We're getting closer and closer to that than ever before, but it's not entirely clear what's going to happen once we've dealt with the last of them."

Dusk looked to his mother-

 _(I'd hope they'll all agree to just disband, but I know that probably won't happen.)_

-then to Goldberry-

 _(MAYBE IT'S ALL LOST AT THIS POINT. MAYBE IT WOULD BE BEST IF THE WHITE FANG CAME TO AN END.)_

-and finally to Grimbeorn-

 _(THERE'S NO SAVING IT. EVEN IF WE SUCCEED OUR NAME IS STILL TARNISHED. THE WHITE FANG WILL NOT SURVIVE AS IT CURRENTLY IS IF IT SURVIVES AT ALL.)_

-before asking in a soft voice, "Do you think the White Fang is… ending?"

All the adult eyes in the room fell upon Dusk. He fidgeted uncomfortably in their stares. "I-I mean… you guys aren't gonna keep hurting people anymore, right? Mister Adam did that, but… you guys don't, right? Not anymore…?"

Blake turned to Grimbeorn and Goldberry, wordlessly asking for an answer. Grimbeorn's expression remained stoic and unreadable, but Goldberry was frowning, searching for a suitable answer.

"You wouldn't do that anymore... right Ms. Goldberry?" asked Dusk.

Goldberry winced from Dusk's question, and Blake suddenly understood all-too well what was going on.

"Adam died on a mission you gave him, didn't he?" asked Blake, her voice a cold, horrified whisper.

"W-What?!" Goldberry snapped to attention immediately, waving her hands before herself as she said, "N-No, not at all! Er, at least, not intentionally!"

"What the _hell_ is _that_ supposed to mean?!" yelled Blake.

" _What it means,_ " said Grimbeorn with a low, powerful growl of a voice, "is that the mission was indeed one I devised, but Adam volunteered to go along all on his own. We didn't ask him to help with anything; in fact, I _didn't_ want him to go."

Silence fell over the living room. Blake hadn't expected her master's answer at all, and fell back to sit on her heels while she shook her head in confusion. "Wh… Why would he want to help the Old Guard…?"

Grimbeorn shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"And you weren't here to know this," Goldberry said to Blake, "but for months before we announced the mission, Adam had been isolating himself from everyone around him, even his own lackeys. He'd just coop himself up in his private chambers for days and days and days without _any_ outside contact at all."

Blake was again freshly stunned by this new piece of information, and Dusk could clearly see it on his mother's face. Then, Blake's eyes went wide and she said, "Wait, was that the Pullman Company Riot? Was that all-?"

"Our doing," finished Grimbeorn. "Don't tell me you've gone so soft that you actually pity those corporatist pigs?"

"What, Pullman? No, not at all. They were draconian, and had you not gotten to them, they were next on Weiss's company shit-list," said Blake. "No, I just… I'd heard…"

"What?" asked Grimbeorn.

"I'd heard that… most of the Faunus workers were saved and unharmed from the Pullman Private Security Forces," said Blake, her voice smaller than Dusk had ever heard it before. "I know what those freaks were capable of doing, the kind of private armory they had for worker strikes. I couldn't believe none of the workers were killed, but… I guess now I know why…"

The room again fell rather quiet for a few moments.

"He saved a lot of people," said Goldberry. "I hope you know that. I mean… I didn't like him any more than you probably do, but if ever there was a fair exchange of lives to be made in a battle, this was it."

"And," whispered Blake, "all of the workers…?"

"Safe," answered Grimbeorn. "We're still caring for a few of them right now, but they're all saying the same thing. That they owe their lives to Adam for saving them all."

Another bout of quiet fell over the room. Dusk heard his mother inhale sharply through her nose-

 _(I can't believe it. He actually sacrificed himself to save them all…)_

-and held her hand in his. He looked up at her, eyes asking gently, without words, if she was alright or not. Blake beamed a loving smile through the moisture collecting in her vision and squeezed his hand back softly. Nothing else was said.

Then, out of nowhere, Grimbeorn's face went white as a sheet. No one seemed to notice this but Dusk, and he asked, "Mister Grimbeorn? What's wrong?"

Now everyone saw his look of frozen shock.

Blake was second to open her mouth. "Master-?"

"Dogen. He's here," said Grimbeorn.

"What?" exclaimed Goldberry. "You mean he's on the _island?!_ "

"Yes. Get Dusk and Blake into the basement, _now_." Grimbeorn quickly took the tea cups from Blake and Dusk without asking, checking both to see if they were empty, then stacking them into each other as he walked quickly into the kitchen to leave them off.

Once he was finished, he came back and was angered to see Goldberry, Blake, and Dusk all still sitting there in surprised silence.

" _Go! Now!"_

Goldberry snapped from her shocked stupor with a jolt, her uncle's yell enough to get her to her feet. She helped Blake up, then Dusk, and led both past the living room into one of the house's back halls. Dusk didn't have enough time to take in all the beautiful painted vases and artwork lining the walls before he and his mother were whisked into a side door where an old bed sat alone and rather plainly decorated.

Before Dusk could ask why they were there, Goldberry reached down and heaved the bed across the floor to reveal a cellar door underneath. She moved around, yanked open the trapdoor and gestured inside. "In you go, you guys."

Dusk swallowed loudly, held tight onto his mother's hand, and descended with her down the steps into the cellar with great trepidation. In the back of his mind, he knew it was foolish of him to fear the dark what with his Faunus blood. But he got a strange feeling about this cellar. A-

 _("Wanna play hide and seek with me, big brother?")_

-familiar feeling about it.

Blake stopped some way down and looked back up at Goldberry to ask, "How will we know it's okay to go back up?"

"Wanna remember another secret knock?" asked Goldberry.

Blake shrugged. "Sure."

Goldberry half-lowered the trapdoor and knocked "shave and a haircut" against its surface. "How about that?"

With her golden eyes almost glowing in the dark, Dusk could see Blake roll her eyes. "I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Damn right," said Goldberry. "Don't worry. We'll get him out of here as quickly as we possibly can. Like I said; this place is better than sacred ground. Especially with my uncle here."

"Okay," said Blake.

"Okay," said Dusk.

"You alright down there, Dusk?" asked Goldberry.

"Uh-huh," said Dusk. Of course he wasn't alright, but who ever answered that question with a 'no?' Dusk wasn't about to try and be the first.

"Don't worry. You'll be alright here. Just hold out 'till I come back."

And with that, the trapdoor fell to surround Dusk and his mother in complete and utter darkness.

The darkness, of course, only lasted for a few seconds.

Dusk blinked a few times, and the cellar steps appeared to him clear as anything he'd ever seen in the daylight. Blake walked down in front of him and Dusk followed close behind. Both reached the bottom of the stairs just as they heard the bed being moved back into its original place above the cellar door.

Blake glanced behind her, saw Dusk peering fearfully up where they'd just come from, then placed her hand on his arm. "Dusk."

Dusk jolted, whipped around to face her. Blake nodded her head in the direction of the spacious room at the bottom of the stairs, and in particular, an old mattress strewn carelessly into one of the corners of the cellar. Dusk knew what his mother was referring to without needing to ask, and took her hand as they both walked towards it.

"Stay there," said Blake, walking ahead to the mattress. "I'll try and dust it off a bit. Just in case."

She took it to another corner of the cellar and slapped it around for a few minutes, then came back, laid it down, and sat on it. When she patted on the empty space beside her, Dusk didn't even hesitate to crawl onto the mattress, lay his head in his mother's lap, and curl into a little ball.

His sleepiness hit him in wave, and Dusk quickly fell asleep in his mother's hands.

xXx

 _As usual, Dusk didn't notice when he began to dream. He was simply thrown right into the middle of things he didn't quite understand._

 _But he wasn't particularly dreaming; that he was sure of._

 _What he was doing… he was much less sure of._

 _He knew where he was, in a strange way. Dusk thought nothing strange when through his 'sight' he could see himself curled up in sleep while his mother stroked his head in her hands over and over again._

 _That's right, he thought, I'm in the cellar of Master Grimbeorn's home._

 _His 'sight' turned back up to see the stairs ascending to the dojo above. The inclination hit Dusk that he could move anywhere he wanted right now if he just willed it so._

 _He figured it was worth a try, and so willed himself to go through the trapdoor._

 _The trapdoor was like mist, and he passed through it without any problems._

" _Woah," Dusk said to no one and nothing at all._

 _Could he be seen?_

 _Dusk's awareness floated through the house like a lonely ghost, snaking through the hallway back to the living room where-_

" _Fawnie!"_

 _-Master Grimbeorn turned a corner and walked right through Dusk._

 _Dusk flinched, reeled in the strange sensation of intangibility, then turned to see if Master Grimbeorn, himself, noticed anything at all out of the ordinary. The old swordsman hesitated for a moment, glancing at the immediate area around him, but then continued walking through the halls to wherever he'd been going in the first place, calling out to the house, "Fawnie!"_

" _Yeah?!" Goldberry shouted back from somewhere in the house._

 _Grimbeorn strode even faster through the house towards the voice, and Dusk's 'sight' followed. The old swordsman eventually halted at the edge of an open room and glanced inside. There Goldberry was sitting on her bed, waiting for him._

" _You've put Blake and Dusk in the cellar?" asked Grimbeorn._

" _Yeah, of course," said Goldberry._

" _And you know to stay in here no matter what, right, Fawnie?"_

 _At this, Goldberry giggled and nodded her head. "Yes, I know uncle! I'll let you handle Dogen, as usual. Don't worry about it!"_

 _Dusk could see Grimbeorn wanted so badly to smile with his beloved niece, but couldn't. Not while Dogen was on his way right here and now._

" _I thought I told you to be discreet when you were going to go pick them up from the hanger," said Grimbeorn._

" _I was discreet! Dogen just showed up out of nowhere, what was I supposed to do?" asked Goldberry._

" _Okay, alright, fine. Just…" Grimbeorn shook his crystalline arm, trying to think of what to say to his niece-_

 _(Dogen's nothing to you. He's just a flea. A parasite. This is your domain.)_

 _-then slouching with a tired sigh. "Just… please don't let him see you, Fawnie."_

" _Okay, uncle, you don't need to rub it in like an old man," said Goldberry. "I'll stay here and be okay, okay?"_

 _Grimbeorn nodded his head to himself for reassurance, then said, "And lock your door."_

" _Okay," said Goldberry._

 _Grimbeorn shut the door and hurried off through the dojo once more. He flexed his jade arm, and Dusk saw the old swordsman's Aura swell and pulse down, deep into the earth and streak off in every direction like a spider's web across the island. For the briefest moment, Dusk could see the island as Grimbeorn did._

 _Scattered all across it, all throughout the forest, were small spires of crystalline jade jutting out in obscure locations. Dusk felt like a spider, scuttling along each of the pathways Grimbeorn maintained between himself and each jade spire._

 _Dusk followed Grimbeorn's awareness, then saw the tall man from the hanger again through the crystal lens and felt a shudder pulse through him._

 _ **Dogen**_

 _Just like at the hanger, the imposing man walked on with a flawless gait as though he were merely gliding up the stone steps of the island. Close behind him were no more than five of what Dusk figured to be his henchmen, all of whom walked with a lumbering and yet imposing purpose behind their master. Their weapons were varied; gunswords, fire-axes, compact lance-rifles, and other such arsenals._

 _But none of them intimidated Dusk in the way Dogen did. The calculated swish of his pitch black tail, the ruthless manner in which he held himself, and the way it seemed there was no way to approach without him already knowing and being able to instantly cut someone to ribbons in the blink of an eye._

 _And on top of it all, Dusk could still feel the perverse patchwork presence of Dogen's Aura as he walked. It felt as though it had eyes of its own. Looking around. Waiting. Watching. Searching._

 _Searching for-_

 _(IS HE HERE?)_

 _-_ _ **him.**_

 _Dusk's 'sight' was suddenly yanked back to Grimbeorn, who was currently finishing stuffing some kind of tobacco into an ornate stick-like pipe the likes of which Dusk had never seen before. Once done, Grimbeorn twirled it in his fingers, and strode off to the dojo's front door without a care in the world. He exited his home, leaned on a nearby pillar on his porch, and removed a lighter from his tunic pants to light his pipe._

 _Once lit, Grimbeorn took a drag, exhaled, and waited._

 _It wasn't long before Dogen appeared on the stairs below the dojo. Grimbeorn saw this-_

 _(You made a mistake coming here, you arrogant fucking punk.)_

 _-and chuckled a low rumble, took another drag of his pipe._

 _Dogen halted a few steps below Grimbeorn and gave a low bow to the old swordsman. "Good evening, Master Grimbeorn, and apologies for the unannounced visit. It wasn't my intention to disturb you from… whatever it is you do nowadays."_

 _Grimbeorn breathed long and low, but didn't acknowledge Dogen's presence at all. He merely watched the smoke billow forth from his lips and casually said, "I'm not gonna pretend that your very presence on my island makes me want to kill you where you stand, so I'd appreciate it if you'd not bother with a respectful greeting if all you're gonna follow up with is more disrespect."_

 _Dogen rose from his bow like a machine, and flashed a predatory grin that was equally as cold. "Straight to the point as ever, old man."_

" _Get off my island," said Grimbeorn. He took another drag from his pipe._

 _Dogen shook his head, clicked his tongue in mock displeasure at Grimbeorn's brusque order. "Such a lack of hospitality. I suppose I should expect as much from someone who is desperately trying to hide something from others."_

" _This island belongs to my family,_ _ **has**_ _belonged to my family for hundreds and hundreds of years," said Grimbeorn, turning a callous jade eye to glare at Dogen with bottomless disdain. "I care about what you think about as much as I care about a used condom. Get off my island."_

" _You should care, however, about how you're honor-bound to offer a guest tea, and to oblige them if they say yes, be they friend or foe," said Dogen. He grinned that same horrible grin from before, and Dusk felt himself shudder again while he saw it._

 _Grimbeorn hesitated when he lifted his pipe, but removed his glare from Dogen and stared off in the distance-_

 _(God, please, let this little punk try something while he's in my home. Please just give me a fucking reason.)_

 _-as he took another drag. He breathed it out with a sigh and said, "Dogen, do you want any fucking tea?"_

 _Dogen nodded in polite affirmation. "Why yes, I would. How courteous of you."_

 _Grimbeorn paused for a moment, then arched his lithe form from the pillar he leaned against and walked to open the door. He didn't even turn to hold it open for Dogen, just held it by the heel of his foot._

 _Dogen walked forward onto the porch, but when his henchmen walked forward-_

" _Oh," said Grimbeorn thoughtfully over his shoulder, "your little entourage of dimestore mooks didn't ask for tea. If they take one step onto my dojo, I'll kill them and you before anyone even tries to run."_

 _Dogen's lips curled, a twitch of a snarl, then he turned and waved his henchmen off. They obeyed, and Dogen walked in just before the door could close on him._

 _Grimbeorn gestured at the living room table carelessly with his pipe, not bothering to look at Dogen as he said, "Sit there and don't move. Go anywhere else and I kill you."_

 _Dogen raised his eyebrows as though to say 'oh my,' then removed his shoes and knelt down at the table as he'd been told. While he knelt, his dark eyes scanned the room for details. Dusk wasn't sure if he found anything worthy of note, but the tall man's searching seemed endless and deeply prying into whatever he laid his eyes on, and Dusk worried there would be something telling that would give him and his mother away._

 _Dusk didn't dare look any deeper into Dogen, didn't want to get closer to the unnerving patchwork like a pulsing web of stitches that was rank and sickening and that he felt could possibly infect him with its darkness if he-_

" _Is Goldberry home?" Dogen asked Grimbeorn._

" _The fuck does it matter to you?" replied Grimbeorn as he walked back with two teacups, placing them roughly onto the table. He picked up the clay teapot from its little furnace and poured first for himself, then for Dogen in two incredibly rushed, uncouth motions, then placed the teapot back on the furnace. As he slid Dogen's teacup over to his guest, Grimbeorn took the time to exhale into Dogen's cup before he picked it up._

 _Dogen lifted his teacup and eyed Grimbeorn as a parent eyes a rowdy child. Grimbeorn saw this, and merely gestured an informal toast at Dogen before drinking his tea in one quick gulp._

" _Well, I just found it strange when I saw her at the airstrip hanger towing along behind her a woman and a little boy. Especially since she was wearing one of our old Grimm masks. I was under the impression she found them…" Dogen glanced down, saw the tray of ceramic animal masks Goldberry had made staring up at them, and curled his lips in a flash of disgust. "... distasteful."_

" _Well," said Grimbeorn, "wasn't it your people who keep on insisting we keep wearing the masks as mandatory? She won't break code. Just change it. Drink your fucking tea so you can get the fuck out of my house, you parasite. I don't want you breathing the same air as me."_

 _Dogen glared at Grimbeorn with that same unnerving smile still stretching across his lips, but Grimbeorn casually met it with an equally unflinching stare of bottomless disdain._

" _She's here, isn't she?" asked Dogen. "The traitor."_

 _Grimbeorn's expression hardly even flickered. Visually, he gave nothing away and Dusk knew it. But he also knew there was no way to know exactly what Dogen could and couldn't do. What he could and couldn't see on a normal basis._

 _Still, Grimbeorn remained as disdainful as ever towards Dogen and said, "Which one? We've had so many over the years I can hardly keep track of them all. You say the word 'traitor' as though whomever you're speaking of is the first of her kind, when we both know fully well that is a crock of shit."_

 _Dogen's smile cracked just a smidgen, but remained. He still thought he could grill Grimbeorn with his question. A foolish, vain assumption to make, but one he followed through on, regardless. "You know which one. Your disgraced student. The turncoat heiress whore who befriended the human pigs- who befriended the Schnee heiress and doomed our movement to the squalor it sits in today-!"_

" _The squalor of this organization," said Grimbeorn, his voice a low, rumbling growl of controlled rage, "was brought upon by no one but those who saw sense in Salem's conspiracy. I know of whom you speak when you throw around the title of my 'disgraced student,' but she is not the one I blame for the downfall of my beloved White Fang. No, the one I blame- among the many- is your fallen superior and idol, Adam Taurus."_

 _Finally, Dogen's composure visibly crumbled as his smile disappeared from his lips. "Adam brought purpose to the White Fang."_

" _That fool brought nothing but horror and bloodshed to our people. Became drunk with the vision of supremacy over the humans and became the spearhead of Salem's grand plan. And what was left of him in the aftermath? Only a husk of the shadow of the boy I raised in these very halls. Used, defeated, and broken from the weight of the world's avarice directed solely upon him." Grimbeorn shook his head in disgust as he took another drag of his pipe and exhaled with a tired sigh. "I might have pitied him once, but he knew how this was all going to end the instant he sided with that demon witch."_

 _Grimbeorn glanced at Dogen, saw that his guest was now glaring at him with silent rage, then chuckled. "Come now, Dogen. There's no nobility to be had in fuming over unchangeable facts of the world. You wouldn't curse all bees in the world as evil if one stung you, am I correct? That's simply how it is. Adam played his hand with Salem's Disciples and was played like the fool he was. And here you are, pretending to come into_ _ **my**_ _house with some kind of self-prescribed purpose when, really, you're here just because you're still upset my disgraced pupil will be buried here, on my island, without you, his most loyal pet."_

 _Dusk could see Dogen's jaw grinding beneath his cheek, anger seething from the tall man's every pore._

" _Too bad you can't follow him into the grave," said Grimbeorn. "At least then you'd be doing us all a favor."_

 _Dogen was about to slam his fist down onto the table when there was a sharp, high whine of gemstone like a blade being drawn. Dusk blinked, and the next moment, Grimbeorn's jade arm held a fully-formed jade katana blade beneath Dogen's arm midair above the table._ _The malice in Grimbeorn's glare was almost palpable, like a snake eyeing its prey. He took a deep drag of his pipe, then blew the smoke in Dogen's face, shaking his head. "Not in my house, you fucking insect."_

 _A moment of tense silence passed, then Grimbeorn twirled the jade blade in the air above his head with a few flicks of his wrist, and the gemstone katana retreated again into his arm with a hiss of smooth, sliding stone._

" _You did nothing to help Adam throughout the past decade. Nothing to forward the cause of the White Fang that_ _ **your family helped to create**_ _, and now you think you should have a say in his burial rights?" Dogen scoffed. "_ _ **I**_ _deserve to be at his side. I deserve to see off the greatest warrior Faunuskind has ever seen to his final resting place."_

 _Grimbeorn laughed merrily at this, then knocked the embers of his tobacco into Dogen's teacup. "You know nothing about Adam, boy. He doesn't deserve a burial after everything he's done. But since his corpse is here, and I had a hand in making him, I will be alone in unmaking him. You've had your tea. Get out of my house. I see you anywhere near this island again and I'll kill you where you stand. We're done here."_

 _Grimbeorn took Dogen's teacup, placed it in his own, then placed them both aside. When he caught Dogen still glaring at him, he leaned in close and said, "This is me giving you a running start, boy. I won't warn you when my patience runs out."_

 _Dogen continued to hold his stare with Grimbeorn, then finally stood from the table and bowed a quick nod. "I enjoyed the tea."_

" _I wipe my ass with your opinion of my tea."_

 _Though it was all done with a I of calmness, Dusk could see the hidden haste in Dogen's movements as he put his boots back on and hurried out from the dojo without looking back. As the door swung shut, Dusk partially expected Grimbeorn to be amused, or to laugh with how easily he'd intimidated Dogen. But Grimbeorn remained silent and kneeling at the table while he watched Dogen through his jade spires._

 _Dusk could see Grimbeorn wanted to make sure Dogen was gone from the island. Wanted to make absolute sure of it._

 _When Dogen and his henchmen took the small boat into the lake beyond the mist, Grimbeorn stood with a tired groan and took the teacups back to the kitchen to clean. Before Dusk could think anymore, he felt his 'sight' flicker and weaken._

 _There was a moment's peace in the dreamless dark before Dusk was roused awake from his mother's insistent pushes._

xXx

"Dusk? Baby?"

Dusk's eyes fluttered open. Blake combed her hand through his hair for the hundredth time. He inhaled sharply through his nose, yawned, and stretched in his mother's lap. "Is he gone?"

'Shave and a Haircut' knocked against the cellar door at the top of the stairs. Blake pounded the last two notes against the wall behind her. "I guess that answers your question."

As Dusk tried to sit up, a wave of exhaustion overcame him, causing him to teeter awkwardly against his mother. Dusk rubbed his eyes. Yet again, he'd gotten no rest from his sleep.

Blake gently kissed her son's cheek before standing and taking his hand in hers. "Come on. Let's get you bathed so you can go to sleep."

Goldberry waited for them at the top of the cellar stairs and closed it shut after they'd gone. "All clear."

"Do you know where it is we're going to be sleeping tonight, or…?" asked Blake.

"You'll sleep in your old bedroom," said Grimbeorn, walking into the doorway and speaking to Blake before turning to Dusk with a thoughtful look on his face. "As for the boy…"

"Not Adam's bedroom," said Blake. Dusk glanced up to see his mother's stalwart expression, letting him know there would be no negotiations on the matter. "He can sleep with me if he needs to."

"I can offer my bedroom if you want. I can just sleep on the couch, or something," said Goldberry.

"Oh, Goldberry… you don't need to," said Blake.

"It's fine. It's near yours and uncle's bedrooms, anyways. It'll be safe for him to sleep there if anything happens tonight." Goldberry ran her hand through her golden bangs and glanced at Grimbeorn with a tired sigh. "And I _am_ worried something bad is gonna happen tonight. Dogen isn't exactly the kind of person who respects boundaries, if today was any indication."

Dusk felt Blake's hand cradle his head and pull him close to her in unconscious reflex. "You think… he'd be so bold as to attack us _here_ …?"

Goldberry shrugged and said, "I honestly wouldn't put it past him."

Blake turned to Grimbeorn to see if he would say any different, but he only sighed and shook his head in exhaustion. "I have no idea. He knows I'm here and he _is_ afraid of me. But he may grow bold. I just don't know."

Silence overcame the small room while Blake softly kneaded Dusk's golden curls in her fingers. She was so warm against Dusk that he had to fight to keep his eyes open from fear of passing out even as he stood. "Mama…"

Blake snapped out from her panic, then gave a sad sigh when she looked down and remembered her son's exhaustion. "Alright, well… I guess we'll just take it in stride for right now." Another pause, and another sigh from Blake. She pressed Dusk close against her hip, stroking his kitten ears in gentle, loving caresses. "He needs to take a shower and go to sleep."

Grimbeorn watched Blake hold her son for a fleeting moment, then nodded his head and stepped out of the door frame. "Bathroom's in the same place. You know where it is."

"I know," said Blake.

" _I know,"_ said Dusk. No one heard him.

Dusk went to collect his backpack from the living room then followed Blake through the house to the bathroom of which Grimbeorn spoke. The shower and tub were unlike anything Dusk had ever seen before, and he sighed. He was way too tired to even begin to try and figure out how this kind of showering business was supposed to work.

"Do you… want me to help you shower?" asked Blake when she saw Dusk staring blankly at the tub. "I know how this all works, if you don't want to do it yourself…"

He hardly even gave it a second thought. With a bright red blush, Dusk nodded his head and sighed.

Blake giggled and ruffled his hair. "Come on. I'll show you how."

She showed Dusk to a door in the side of the room and opened it, nudging him inside with a soft push. "Go on. You undress in here first, then come back out."

"Okay," said Dusk in a tired whisper.

The door closed behind him. He undressed just as his mother had instructed him to, taking off his shoes, socks, shorts, boxers, then pulling his shirt off over his head.

Once he cast it aside, Dusk looked into the mirror in the room and saw-

 _-a boy with red hair, blood splattered across his naked body in a bright splash of hot crimson. The fog of the steaming water in the other room obscured his face, but Dusk knew who it was._

 _Adam in the mirror lifted his trembling arms as Dusk did. The knife he held was drenched in dark red blood, trailing down his forearm and dripping down onto the floor in a careful, steady stream. Dusk's breathing became fast and panicked, and he saw Adam's chest palpitating with greater intensity as they both saw his blood-stained hands at the same time._

 _("What's wrong?")_

 _In the mirror, Dusk saw the door open and a young girl with bright golden eyes and raven-black hair peered in._

 _("Adam, I-")_

 _Dusk saw Blake's eyes grow wide with horror at the sight of the blood._

 _Adam in the reflection whipped around at the same time Dusk did._

"Baby?"

Dusk blinked, and he saw his mother as an adult looking in from around the slightly-opened door. When she saw him look at her, she immediately shied back away from the door. "Oh! Sorry, I was just wondering if you were okay!"

Dusk blinked again, remembered to breathe. His hands had no blood on them, nor was he carrying a knife. He whipped back around to the mirror and saw only his own reflection there once again.

"Dusk? What's wrong?" asked Blake.

 _("Adam? What's wrong?")_

"I'm…" tried Dusk, rubbing his eyes furiously again then blinking with deliberate force to make absolute sure he was, indeed, awake. "I'm just really tired. I dozed off for a second there."

Blake's lips were a flat line, her expression grim. "Alright. Hurry up, then. Let's clean you off then get you to bed. It's been a long day."

"Uh huh, a long day..." said Dusk as though in a trance. "Gotta clean up…"

When Blake retreated to close the door, Dusk didn't scream. Didn't cry or sob or break down as he was given the silence and the space to reflect on what he'd just witnessed, and knowing that he didn't want to scream in horror surprised him.

On the inside, Dusk certainly was terrified.

He walked up to the mirror, placed both trembling hands on it, then pressed his forehead against the glass. Dusk heard his breaths, could hear them growing faster and louder as the panic and the fear and the frustration washed over him in a silent, subdued hurricane.

"What's happening to you?" asked Dusk in a trembling, whispered growl.

He was given no answer. Eventually, the panic dissipated, and he donned a towel and walked out.

As promised, Blake helped bathe him, and it was much appreciated. Dusk wasn't entirely sure how he might have done it himself, and it was nice to doze off while his mother washed his hair. When all was said and done, Dusk hurried into the undressing room and gathered his clothes, both clean and dirty, then rushed back out before he could look into the mirror again.

"You don't want to get dressed in the changing room?" asked Blake.

Dusk shrugged as he slipped on his boxers and said, "You just helped me with a bath, mama. I don't think it really matters."

Blake laughed warmly at her son's response and ruffled his damp hair playfully. Dusk wanted to laugh with his mother, wanted to feel just a little bit of humor in the midst of everything that had happened today.

But the memory of the mirror lingered, and he could still taste the iron in the air from the blood on Adam's hands.

Dusk finished dressing himself, then brushed his teeth afterwards, focusing on the taste of the toothpaste and nothing else. Once he was done, Dusk again took his mother's hand as both walked towards Goldberry's room.

He tried not to focus on the creeping familiarity of the halls, the almost gravitational pull Dusk felt as he passed by the room he knew without being told-

 _("Just keep walking, Blake. Your son needs to sleep. He isn't there anymore, just keep walking.")_

-once belonged to Adam.

Blake eyed the room they'd stopped in front of with confusion. "I never knew what this room was supposed to be used for when I grew up here…"

Goldberry then appeared in the hall behind them and said, "Uncle hadn't used it before I moved in a few years after you left. He cleared it out for me so I could sleep in there."

Blake shook her head in silent confusion. "He never said a word about having a niece. Not once while I was here…"

Goldberry simply gave a sad smile and shrugged. "My mother and he lived very different lives. I didn't even know he'd trained you until a year or so after I got settled in here."

"May I ask what happened to your mother?" asked Blake.

Goldberry was silent for a moment, but that was all Blake needed to know.

"She-

 _(Was killed)_

-died, a year or two after you defected from the White Fang," said Goldberry.

"I'm… so sorry…" said Blake.

Goldberry shrugged and waved her hand sheepishly at Blake. "Don't be. It wasn't any fault of yours. Anyways, I'm gonna go ahead and go get set up in the living room for the night."

"Thanks for letting me borrow your room, Ms. Goldberry," said Dusk.

Goldberry glowed at Dusk's boyish politeness yet again, and ruffled his shock of golden curls playfully in both her hands. "And thank _yooooooouuuu_ for giving me the pleasure of meeting such a sweet and precious little boy!" When she was finished and Dusk had stopped giggling, Goldberry brought the little boy in for a hug and whispered, "Now get some sleep, kiddo."

With that, Goldberry gave a parting nod to Blake, then walked off in her pajamas into the living room beyond the hall.

Dusk said nothing of the room as he walked in with Blake. It was fragrant and lovely, as he'd imagined most girls' rooms often were. But this room had a wonderfully natural scent to it. A smell like morning dew on verdant, uncut grass baking in the light of the rising summer sun. If Dusk had been blind, he might have thought the room had no walls separating him from the forests outside.

"It's a beautiful room," said Blake. "I think you'll be able to get some sleep tonight."

Dusk didn't want to jinx himself by agreeing with his mother, but he did share her hopefulness. Something about this room was radiating peace and tranquility unlike Dusk had had the pleasure of knowing for the past few weeks. His exhaustion felt more sustained and pleasant rather than choppy and anxious.

And Goldberry's bed did look amazingly soft…

Blake and Dusk walked to the side of the bed together. Blake pulled aside the covers and Dusk scrambled up and scuttled into a ball, burying his head deep into the plush and fair-scented pillow. It smelled like flowers that bloomed in all seasons, and a relaxing tranquility overcame Dusk as his mother slid into bed beside him. His every breath became a tired sigh, and Dusk hoped it was a sign he would fall fast asleep soon and without trouble.

"There you go, kitten. You all tucked in?" asked Blake.

"Mmhm," said Dusk. He rubbed his cheek closer into the pillow, a bright smile on his face as he reveled in the bed's comfort. Dusk saw his mother smile, and he giggled quietly.

Blake reached over and stroked a few errant curls from Dusk's cheek, then cupped his head to keep her lips pressed against his skin in a long and loving kiss. Dusk said nothing, right up to when she parted from him but kept her hand on his cheek. "Now get some sleep. It's been a long day for the both of us, but especially for you."

"Mama?"

Blake stroked her son's cheek with her thumb. "Yes, baby?"

Dusk appeared hesitant for a moment, then he placed his hand atop hers and asked, "Is what mister Grimbeorn said about you true?"

Silence for a moment, then Blake held his hand in hers, rubbing it in her fingers, and nodded with a sigh.

"Why didn't you ever tell us, mama?" asked Dusk.

Blake's eyes were shut tight as she kissed her son's knuckles, then pressed his hand against her cheek, held it tight against her fair skin as though to remember what it felt like. "I didn't want this life for my babies, Dusk. I didn't want you or your big sister to have anything to do with my… old life."

"Does… papa know…?"

Blake nodded gently.

Dusk's eyes flickered in thought. "Then… that means I'm a… prince? And Dawn's a... princess...?"

Blake giggled and caressed Dusk's cheek with a teasing wink. "You're a beautiful little boy, but that doesn't make you a prince."

Dusk's eyes flickered in thought again, then he pouted. "That's… boring."

"Good," said Blake, brushing her son's golden curls from his eyes to kiss the tip of his nose. "That means you can go back to being my precious little son, and that means more to me than if you were the king of the whole wide world."

Dusk recoiled and giggled, then leaned forward to peck his mother on her cheek. "Love you, mama."

Blake kissed Dusk's cheek again, knowing there was no way in the world she would ever grow tired of it. "And I love you, too, my beautiful little prince."

"Goodnight, mama."

Blake had barely kissed Dusk's forehead before he had fallen fast asleep in his mother's warm embrace.

xXx

 _(The new moon rises underneath its camouflage of darkness.)_

 _(Artemis has left the heavens, her celestial eye vanished; vacant in her absence.)_

 _(She is not in the sky because she is prowling across the lightless night for blood to shed.)_

 _(Tonight is a night of hunters and the hunted. Of the predators and the prey.)_

 _(No light will shine on the blood to be spilt tonight.)_

 _(No light will shine on the ones lurking around tonight.)_

Dusk woke with a small jolt, like he'd fallen in his dream and awoken just before the impact, and knew two things immediately:

He'd slept well enough, but before he could get any rest, something had awoken him.

Second, Dusk could have sworn the thing that had awoken him was a sound he'd heard outside of his room.

He laid in his bed for a moment, his kitten ears flicking around to listen for any kind of disturbance in the house he could perceive.

But all that came back to Dusk was more of the same silence, and the soft sounds of his mother's breathing beside him.

 _Guess it was just me_ , thought Dusk. He lowered his head back down to the pillow and closed his eyes to sleep.

Then it happened again. A sound that made no noise. He didn't hear it, but he'd heard it for sure. Felt _something_ off with the night beyond his remaining lack of sleep. Dusk turned to the bedside clock. 2:00 in the morning.

Yep. No sleep. The bed felt too warm. His mother's presence was welcoming and inviting, but he knew curling closer to her wouldn't help him fall asleep any faster.

Dusk knew what his insomnia felt like, and it was not going anywhere anytime soon. No matter how hard he tried to go back to sleep.

Dusk carefully wiggled himself free from Blake's embrace, taking care to not wake her up as he slid out from the covers and down onto the hardwood floor. He rubbed his tired golden eyes as they unconsciously changed back from a _cat's to a human's_ after a few groggy blinks. Goldberry's room was the same as it'd ever been, nothing had changed or had been altered that Dusk could notice.

He stood and shuffled barefoot towards the door, opening it and looking up and down the empty hallway. If he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, Dusk figured he could at least do something mildly productive in the meantime and look for the sound.

So he thought.

But then he heard that sound again. Or, at least, Dusk _thought_ he'd heard it. Some indescribable noise he now wasn't entirely certain was even in the house at all. Like it was somewhere outside, and far-off at that.

Then Dusk glanced closer at one of the doors of the hall. The one Dusk knew to be Grimbeorn's bedroom. It might have looked closed to anyone sparing just a fleeting glance, but walking closer to it, Dusk could see the door was opened just a tiny crack.

Like someone was in a rush, and had failed to close it correctly.

Again, the strange sound from outside. A gust of wind? Lake water lapping up against the white shore of the island? Still, Dusk wasn't entirely sure how to quantify the noise. He hardly paid it any mind as he reached carefully for the handle of the sliding door with a suddenly sweaty palm and realized his heart was the loudest thing he could hear in the entire house.

Dusk slid the screen further aside, enlarging the crack to a black space he could peer into.

The room was filled with antique memorabilia Dusk couldn't make out in the dark even with his affinity for the nighttime, but that wasn't what immediately caught Dusk's attention.

What caught Dusk's attention was Grimbeorn's bed, and seeing the old swordsman was not laying in it.

There was the soft sound outside again. Soft and fleeting. And sharp.

Dusk took notice of this, then turned to leave. He didn't like the feel of the night at all. Everything about it felt wrong. It was too quiet in the dojo, and the shadows seemed deceptive to him. He was on his way back to his room when he heard another soft sound. This one right behind him.

The whole world froze for one fleeting moment as Dusk felt a new presence behind him, standing over his shoulder.

 _Mama-_

The words didn't leave Dusk's lips fast enough. A zip of cloth, and a deep black band gagged Dusk in a flash of savage motion yanking him backwards. He wished he could scream, but there was little he could do against the unknown force carrying him up and into the darkness of Grimbeorn's empty room.

 _Mama!_

As Dusk was carried into the room, another arm from the darkness shut the door in a soft gesture. The assailant wasn't alone, it would seem. This person was dressed in a completely black outfit blending with the shadows of the room. Dusk imagined the person who'd captured him was likely wearing something of the same make, because even when he looked down, the man's gloved hands seemed practically invisible across Dusk's chest.

The infiltrator by the door performed small, silent hand gestures in Dusk's general area. The person was wearing a pair of goggles, but Dusk could 'see'-

 _(WHAT IS THIS? NO MENTION OF BOY.)_

-and understand exactly what the woman was saying.

How had he known the person was a woman? Dusk didn't ponder too much longer on the thought; the infiltrator holding him wrapped their arms across Dusk's neck and tightened viciously.

 _(NO MATTER. NO WITNESSES.)_

No air was falling into his lungs, and whatever was trapped in Dusk's throat was pushed out from the man's headlock to be obstructed by the gag tie over his mouth. Complete and utter terror enveloped Dusk, and he flailed helplessly in his captor's unwavering grip, clawing at the arm across his neck with weaker and weaker resistance.

 _(FIND THE TRAITOR. PUT A KNIFE THROUGH HER THROAT.)_

Dusk's eyes grew wide, horrified because he knew what the man meant when he mentioned the "traitor."

 _Mama._

Renewed fury coursed through Dusk, and he thrashed violently in his captor's arms.

 _You don't touch my mama!_

His thoughts screamed beyond his mind, and he felt a familiar alien mist crawl in behind his senses while he did.

In a blink, Dusk's golden eyes glowed in the dark like a predatory feline cornered-

 _(YOU DON'T TOUCH HER!)_

-and as his captor bent down for one of Dusk's thrashes, Dusk snapped his head back and collided it against his jaw. A sharp crack snapped through the quiet of the room, and suddenly Dusk was released. Spots were in his vision, and he collapsed to the ground, heaving as though about to throw up. He could feel the person's presence behind him recoiling-

 _(YOU LITTLE FUCKING BRAT! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!)_

-closing down and in on him. Dusk rolled backwards at just the right moment through his captor's legs, causing the masked person to collide into his colleague. With the small amount of time he'd gained, Dusk managed to reach behind his head and fumbled with removing the gag from his head. The ties were too tightly wound behind him. Tears rolled down his cheeks. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…?

The disguised assailants were standing upright again and glaring at Dusk through their goggles.

 _(NO WITNESSES.)_

His captor drew the knife from it's holster on his back. His partner did the same and was above Dusk in just a few gliding steps. Dusk could only squeak pitifully through the gag as the second assailant grabbed a handful of his golden curls and yanked his head back.

The cold blade was pressed against the soft flesh of Dusk's pulsing throat and hovered unmoving. His trembling breath was the loudest thing in Dusk's universe. Eyes wide with horror, he looked into the pitch-black holes of the attacker's goggles and wept.

 _Please… Please, don't…_

But the attacker only tightened her fingers in Dusk's hair, leveled the razor edge of the blade against Dusk's neck, and-

The bedroom door slid open. The blade held against Dusk's neck parted from the skin, and Dusk felt his attacker's hand loosen its grip in his hair as she whipped around to see the disturbance.

It was only for a fleeting moment that Dusk could see Blake framed in the hallway light, but that was all he needed. Her golden eyes were wide, but not with fear. With _rage._ Silent, wordless, bottomless, and colder than the empty night sky.

Blake aimed Gambol Shroud at Dusk's attacker, and pulled the trigger.

Dusk's ears rang, and he didn't notice the sudden splash of wet warmth across his body as the attacker fell back limp and lifeless beside him. It happened so fast he wasn't even entirely certain it had actually happened. He only knew a fight was going on between his mother and the other infiltrator, and that the woman who'd pulled on his hair had been shot.

 _Had been shot…_

 _Mama shot her…_

 _Mama… she…_

Dusk scrambled over to the side of the bed, over the female attacker's corpse, as the fight between his mother and the other attacker raged ever closer towards him. For a reason he would never, ever be able to explain, Dusk glanced back over at the dead woman in the black stealth suit.

His mother shot the attacker dead in her left eye. Though he couldn't see it in its entirety, Dusk could see the flecks of pulverized flesh and bone blooming out behind her head.

 _Mama sh-shot…_

 _Sh-Sh-She… k-killed…_

Dusk felt warm bile bulge in his throat as a cold, numb terror chilled him to the bone. The corpse was staring at him, he knew.

 _He could see the woman's Aura gently fade, then extinguish entirely._

 _Oh Gods…_

He had to get the gag off of his mouth; he was about to vomit. Dusk clenched his eyes tightly shut and clawed behind his head for the back tie, his fingers slippery with blood he still failed to notice. Finally, one of his fingers hooked onto the cloth and he ripped it over his head with a gasp of air.

As Dusk leaned against the bed, his eyes traveled naturally back over to the dead corpse and he cried out in terror. He had to get away from it. Even if he vomited, Dusk still wanted to be as far away from here as possible. He scrambled up the bed, crawled across it, and rolled off onto the other side. With the corpse finally out of sight, Dusk felt his emotions well up inside of him and were about to flood forth when-

 _*WHAM*_

The remaining infiltrator collided against the wall Dusk leaned against, and he scurried back with a terrified cry. Blake was behind the attacker in a flash. The assassin whipped around to stab her in the side as she came, but Blake easily intercepted the attack by snapping her foot up to kick the blade from his hand. The rogue gave a muffled cry of pain. He was silenced as Blake twirled and drove the same heel to smash into the man's face, slamming the back of his skull against the wall while she caught the knife in the air.

Blake then grabbed the man's other arm, pressed on his back with her foot, then drove her knee into the man's elbow. He screamed, but not before Dusk heard the sickening, wet crack of bone and tendon giving way underneath. The arm's shape was now bent in an unnatural shape, which Dusk could very clearly see, much to his abject horror.

The attacker did not rise from where he hunched over, didn't do anything but grope pathetically at the hardwood floor with fingers broken from Blake's disarming kick. His cries were pained, pathetic, and defeated.

It tore Dusk apart inside to hear such wailing. His mother, however, continued to glare down at her attacker with a rage yet to be sated. Blake allowed the assassin to grovel a few moments more, then held his broken arm against the wall and drove his blade through his out-turned palm, pinning it to the hardwood.

The man's screams renewed. Blake leaned down to rip the mask off his face, grabbed a handful of the man's hair, and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

" _You don't touch my son,"_ Blake said.

She rose and drove her knee into his face. The strike precise, the force unrelenting.

" _You!"_

She did it again.

" _Don't!"_

And again.

" _Touch!"_

And again.

" _My!"_

And again.

" _Son!"_

And again and again, until her bare knees were almost purple with wear. Once she was finished with her knees, she leaned above the assassin and spared a moment to catch her breath, then fell to one knee and drove her fist into his stomach.

" _Who the_ _ **fuck**_ _do you think you are?!"_

The man spat up some fluid, but Blake held his chin up and drove her other fist into his face with a left hook.

" _Answer me, you fucking_ _ **filth**_ _!"_

Blake continued to pulverize the man with her bare fists, his face becoming a jumble of bloody pink, red, and purple welts. Her rage so completely overwhelmed her that she didn't notice the rush of running feet sprinting down the hallway, nor when Goldberry and Grimbeorn threw open the door and saw the bloody scene before them. Goldberry gasped when she saw the corpse in the distance, but Grimbeorn paid it no mind. Immediately, he walked to his enraged pupil and grabbed her forearm in mid-punch.

" _Enough_ , Blake," said Grimbeorn. "We need this one alive."

Blake's wild eyes glared at her master for a fleeting moment, but could not match his controlled anger glimmering within, and so felt her control return with a trembling chill. With Grimbeorn's assistance, Blake managed to stand even with her legs still shaking from the fight. She looked down at the bloodied mess of an assassin she'd left pinned to the wall, and spat on his face for good measure.

"Blake, where's Dusk?" asked Goldberry.

"He's safe, I just…" All at once, Blake grasped that Dusk was nowhere in her sight, and immediately began to panic. "Dusk…? _Dusk?!_ "

Blake tried to move, but Grimbeorn held her fast.

"Master, what are you doing?! _Let me go!_ " yelled Blake. Grimbeorn said nothing, didn't even look at Blake.

Goldberry walked around and shook her uncle's arm insistently. "Uncle, what're you doing? We need to find…"

Then, Goldberry understood all at once what her uncle's silence meant, and she turned to see what he was staring at. Goldberry's hands slowly rose to clasp her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes. "Oh my dear God…"

When Blake heard Goldberry, a wave of dread overcame her like a swim through sub-arctic water. She turned to see what it was they were all staring at.

Blake's insides went numb.

Tears cascaded down Dusk's wide eyes, fixed on his mother with such horror and fear one might have thought her to be an Ursa come to gobble him whole. There was no color in his pale face, only the splash of dark crimson from the dead assassin's blood when Blake shot her. His hands were clasped tight over his mouth, but Blake could hear his gasping through his fingers; loud and rapid and afraid.

Afraid… of her.

Blake slowly knelt to the ground, her eyes locked on her son's. He could be looking at someone else, she thought. Maybe he's just stunned.

 _Please, don't look at me like that. Please tell me he isn't looking at me like I'm some sort of monster…_

"D-Dusk…?" Blake's voice cracked when she spoke, but continued to scootch towards her son on her knees, slowly, carefully, each of her movements as soft as she could manage.

Dusk shook violently as Blake came closer. With a terrified whimper, he clasped his eyes shut and pushed himself further from his mother with his feet, pressing his back against the corner of the room. There, Dusk curled into himself, hiding his face in his arms as his whimpering grew into low, mournful sobbing.

"D… Dusk…?" Blake wiped the tears from her eyes with a shrug of her shoulder and crawled closer towards her son. When she was at arm's length from Dusk, Blake carefully extended her hand to caress his cheek. But Dusk saw her fingers coming closer, saw the purple bruises on her knuckles from her relentless pummeling of the incapacitated assassin.

Punch after savage punch, one after the other…

… and the rage he saw in her heart-

 _("I did all of this for_ _ **you**_ _, Blake!")_

-was too much like _his._ Dusk could barely see where Adam ended and his mother began.

And so when Dusk saw his mother reaching towards him with her bruised and bloodied hand, he trembled and shook his head as he said, "... No…"

The hand halted its advance. Frozen in place. Stunned. Silence permeated the room, broken by Dusk's dry, heaving breaths.

"Baby," said Blake, her voice weak and crumbling. "Dusk… It's me… your mama…"

Dusk shook his head again. "You killed her…"

"She was going to _kill you_ ," said Blake.

"You killed her like it was nothing…" wept Dusk.

" _They were going to kill you!"_ screamed Blake as she grabbed her son's shoulders and shook him. " _When I walked in, I saw my son with a blade pressed against his throat, about to be executed right in front of me! I saw two strangers about to cut my baby boy's throat to leave him bleeding out like an animal!"_

Dusk was too stunned to speak, too stunned by the sight of his mother with tears pouring down her cheeks crashing into his mind in a way he'd never known before tonight. In that moment, Dusk understood his mother intimately.

" _I…"_ Blake began, then trailed off as a powerful sob rattled through her entire body. " _I almost lost you…!"_

His mother's weeping came in full-force after that, her hands pressed against her eyes while she doubled over and sobbed with unrelenting anguish.

" _I'm sorry…! I am so sorry, Dusk!"_ cried Blake.

Dusk, not sure what to do, or what to think, reached over to place a hand on his mother's quaking shoulder.

That was when Dusk finally remembered the blood that had been splattered on him. It covered his hand, and a better portion of his arms.

And, turning his hand over, Dusk saw his palms were drenched in red.

 _("Adam, what's wrong?")_

"Dusk, what's wrong?" The voice was Goldberry's, but Dusk could hardly hear it as he remembered the sticky warmth of dried blood coagulating _across his face and in his hair and on his clothes and on his skin._

Blake's weeping fell quiet. "Baby…? What's…?"

 _("It's not mine, Blake.")_

"It's not mine," said Dusk in a low mumble. The room was spinning, the center of Dusk's universe trapped by the blood-stained hands. He didn't remember pushing against the wall to stand up, didn't remember Blake reacting instantly to catch Dusk as he fainted from the shock and exhaustion of the night's skirmish.

He only remembered two things. The red of the blood on his hands, and the warmth of his mother's embrace as she carried him off into a dark and deep sleep.

xXx

 _The warmth of the memory was more than the summer afternoon pouring through the open windows. There was love in the air. Wonderful, abundant, jubilant love. Though the room was quiet, Dusk could feel it._

 _Behind him, he heard the soft shifting of clothes. Glancing to his side, Dusk saw his mother lay on her side and smiled at him. "Hey, kitten."_

 _Dusk opened his mouth to speak, but his three-year-old self knew few other ways to emote towards his mother. The sunlight caught in her waves of raven hair, and she laid beside him seemingly tired, but contented._

 _He scooted closer towards her._

" _Mama?"_

 _Blake flopped over onto her back, her eyes still watching Dusk upside down. "Yes, baby?"_

 _Dusk also rolled over onto his back, meeting her eyes upside down and grinning gleefully. "I love you."_

 _Blake maneuvered herself over her son with catlike grace, her wavy black tresses pooling beside Dusk's head as she brushed his curly golden bangs from his forehead._

" _I'm sorry, baby."_

 _A chill ran through Dusk. The warmth of the summer memory became stale and strange. Tears flowed down Blake's cheeks as she buried her head in her arms, weeping into the ground beside Dusk._

" _Mama?"_

" _I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Blake repeated over and over again._

" _I'm sorry."_

" _I'm so sorry, Dusk."_

" _I am so, so sorry…"_

xXx

When Dusk awoke from the dream, he saw a ceiling he didn't recognize. The covers he slept beneath were thick and fragrant like flowers, and the pillow was pink and plush behind his head.

 _That's right. This is Goldberry's room._

Dusk's eyes went wide.

 _Grimbeorn's dojo._

 _The assassins._

 _Mama._

 _Mama ki-_

Dusk sat upright in crashing recollection. The blood. He'd remembered the blood.

He looked down at himself for the blood. His hands patted a clean shirt, not the same one he'd gone to bed with the night before. He pulled open the collar and looked inside, but still saw no blood. His hands searched his face, his hair, but found nothing.

Someone had cleaned him. Dusk ran a hand through his hair and smelled it.

 _Someone… bathed me?_

A soft moan to Dusk's right let him know he wasn't alone. Looking beside his bed, Dusk saw that Blake pulled up a chair after apparently bathing him and watched over him while he slept. However, she'd fallen asleep during her night watch, and now laid forward on the bed with her head resting in her arms.

Blake moaned in her sleep, the sound closer to a whimper than a groan. As her fingers curled, Dusk could still see her bruised knuckles clear as ever. He inched away by reflex.

But then, she mumbled something under her breath.

" _I'm… I'm sorry…"_

He could see the bags under her eyes, red and swollen from weeping. Her tears left dried rivers crisscrossing down her fair cheeks, and Dusk could see her wince and grimace from whatever unpleasant dream she was having.

" _Forgive me, baby… Please, sweetie, don't…"_ Blake choked on her last word, breaking into another bout of sobbing forcing her to bury her face in her arms yet again.

"Mama…" Dusk hesitated, then crawled carefully towards his mother and reached forward to place the palm of his hand against her downturned head.

Feeling his mother's warmth, Dusk rolled his eyes shut and let his inner eye witness the dream she was having.

 _(She had been chasing her son for what seemed to be whole days now, but still, Blake refused to relent.)_

 _("Dusk?" she called out to the mist-drenched forest, "Dusk? Baby, where are you?! Sweetie, please!")_

 _(In the distance, she heard the rustle of leaves, a soft thump and a boy's yelp of pain. Blake ran towards the sound immediately.)_

 _("Dusk? Dusk?!")_

 _(Rounding a tree, she found her son sprawled out on the forest floor, twigs and leaves entangled in his mess of golden curls. Blake was at her son's side in an instant, reaching down to help Dusk up. "Dusk, what happened? Why'd you-?")_

 _(But the instant Blake touched Dusk's shoulder, he screamed and scrambled away as though her hand were a white-hot brand iron.)_

 _("Dusk…?")_

 _(Blake only watched in stunned silence as her own son looked at her with the most genuine horror she'd ever seen on his beautiful face, pointed at her, and said: "M...M-Monster…")_

 _(Silence. The trees began to shrivel and rot around Blake, curling their dead trunks down on her like corpse's fingers. Dusk whipped around and took off into the forest, and Blake reached out as though to stop him…)_

 _(... but she stopped, retracted her hand and reached up to feel her face.)_

 _(The Grimm mask was there. The same one Adam wore. And it wouldn't come off, no matter how hard she pulled or scratched at it.)_

 _Dusk watched his mother from his nothing-place, watched her give up and heard the sounds of her lamentation echo through the forest without reply. The son of her dreams abandoning her. The rotting trees of the forest enclosing around her and scratching at her relentlessly, trapping her in her own sorrows._

" _No."_

 _He wouldn't stand for it. Even though he'd never done this before, Dusk was determined. He_ _ **knew**_ _he could help his mother._

 _He willed himself to float to the forest floor, just outside the brambled prison wherein his mother wept, and pulled apart the branches one by one. Closer and closer he reached his mother, finally breaking the gnarled branches entrapping her head._

 _He reached for his mother's face, cupping her cheeks as he lifted her head-_

 _("... Dusk…?")_

 _-and lifted the Grimm mask from her eyes. Dusk lowered the mask as it crumbled to dust in his hands; blown away in a stray, stale wind._

 _Then, Dusk pressed his forehead against his mother's and kissed her cheek._

 _A golden wave of light burst forth, obliterating the dead forest with all its fear and anguish and pain. For a few moments, Blake and Dusk floated together in limbo, the setting yet to be replaced._

 _(Then, Blake blinked, and she was in her home again. Summer sunlight poured in through the white curtains, and a three-year-old Dusk grasped gleefully up at her as she leaned above him. His soft cheeks red with laughter and his golden eyes glittering with love for his mother.)_

 _(Her son. Her beautiful, beautiful little boy…)_

 _(Blake lifted her son into her arms, sweeping him up off the floor and holding him close as she peppered his cheek with kisses…)_

… _And as Dusk held the globe of his mother's new dream in his glowing hands, he enjoyed his mysterious gift for the very first time._

 _Smiling, Dusk rolled his slitted eyes shut-_

-and opened them again.

Looking down, Dusk saw his mother was still crying, but at least from the smile on her face, he knew it was of joy and not from sorrow as it had been. He wanted to hug her. To kiss her. To burrow beneath her arms so she could wake up and know he was there and that he still loved her so much.

But the memories of last night still lingered in Dusk's mind. The memories of the fight. The blood. The death.

His mother's bruised knuckles.

Dusk wanted so badly to love his mother as he used to, but…

"I love you, mama," said Dusk. Parting his hand from Blake's head, he kissed his palm and blew it towards her; just like she always did for his big sister and him.

He'd let her enjoy the dream a little longer… alone.

As quietly as he could manage, Dusk crawled to the edge of the bed, slid off, and tip-toed over to the bedroom door. He opened it, then carefully closed it without making a single sound. Once done, Dusk turned to his left and started walking down the hallway.

"You haven't told her, have you?"

Dusk jumped roughly his own height into the air as he whipped around. He stared wide-eyed at Grimbeorn as he leaned against the outside wall and pressed his hand to his racing heart. "How long have you been there?!"

Grimbeorn smirked and chuckled, shaking his head as though amused. "Your mother answered questions with questions, too. When she was your age." In a fluid flex of his muscled obliques, Grimbeorn left the wall and crossed his arms as he eyed Dusk with a scruffy smirk. "I never liked it when she did it, either, you know."

Dusk opened his mouth to rebuke, but the look Grimbeorn shot him said his arguing wasn't anything new to the old swordsman. He shut his mouth for a moment, then thought of something else to ask him. "Why were you waiting out here?"

"Is it strange for a godfather to be concerned with the well-being of his former ward and the child she loves? Is it strange to want to be around in case another wave of assassins comes to finish what the first began?" Grimbeorn leaned his head to the side as if to say 'come, now, Dusk.'

"I thought you called my mama disgraced," said Dusk.

"So she is," said Grimbeorn with a shrug. "And you are her son, whom she loves more than I've ever seen her love anything else in this entire world."

Dusk grimaced. "She killed that person because of me…"

Grimbeorn groaned and rolled his eyes. "What a _mundane_ way of thinking, boy."

Dusk glared up at Grimbeorn and said, "Had I just stayed home-!"

" _Had you just stayed home,_ " interrupted Grimbeorn, meeting Dusk's gaze with a ferocious scolding anger, "your mother would have been killed in her sleep an entire continent away from her family, my private quarters ransacked, and the return of the First Guard would have all been for nothing; and _then_ -!" Grimbeorn fell to eye-level with Dusk, holding a didactic finger between himself and the golden-eyed boy, "- _then_ Dogen would have gotten exactly what he wanted."

A cold shiver slithered through Dusk as he came to terms with everything Grimbeorn said. "And… what does Dogen want…?"

"I answered your question, boy, now you answer mine." Grimbeorn lifted an inquisitive brow at Dusk, shrugged impatiently. "Anytime would be nice. Right… oooh… _now._ Preferably."

Dusk's lips felt reluctant to open, hesitant to answer the man's question. But here he was, cornered.

"Can you promise not to tell my mom?" asked Dusk.

"Why?" asked Grimbeorn immediately.

Dusk fumbled with his words, played nervously with his fingers. "I just… I don't want mama to… to worry about it…"

"Why not? It seems valid for a mother to be concerned for the well-being of her son," said Grimbeorn.

Dusk again fumbled with what to say in response. He bounced in place, wishing the old swordsman would just take him at his word. "Because… Because…"

"Boy, please, just spit it out already. I promise you, you cannot surprise me one little bit-"

Dusk blinked and glared at Grimbeorn-

 _(Because it might have something to do with Adam and I don't want mama to worry about it right now.)_

-with _golden feline eyes_. One moment, Grimbeorn was shrugging, unimpressed with Dusk's change of eyes. The next, he narrowed his gaze at Dusk. Unsettled, but curious all the same.

"In what way does it have to do with Adam?" asked Grimbeorn in a quiet voice.

Dusk's eyes grew wide. "How'd you hear my thoughts…?"

"I just heard your voice. Like an echo." Grimbeorn tapped his temple. "Did you mean to do that?"

Dusk shook his head.

Grimbeorn speculated Dusk with only skirting glances, but then a grin slowly grew across his lips. Dusk focused on Grimbeorn-

 _(I knew your Semblance had something to do with sight. Yeah, you're probably looking into my head right now, aren't you?)_

-then took a step back in surprise.

"You are," said Grimbeorn. "Fascinating."

"How are you doing that? How do you know what I can do?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn said-

 _(When you've lived as long as I have, seen the things I've seen, and battled the kinds of things I've battled, the novelty of surprise quickly wears off.)_

-nothing, only lifted a jade index finger up to his lips and nodded back at the bedroom-

 _(And why don't you speak a bit louder? Your mother's trying to sleep in there. I thought you_ _ **didn't**_ _want her to find out.)_

-Dusk came from.

Dusk narrowed his eyes at Grimbeorn. "What do you want?"

"You're the psychic. Read my mind." Grimbeorn rose to his full height with a tired groan and walked past Dusk down the hall.

"Wait," said Dusk, "Where are you going?"

Grimbeorn halted from turning the corner, glanced back at Dusk. "I'm gonna show you what I want. You want your question answered?"

Dusk whipped around, worried his mother would hear. When he heard no other sounds in the bedroom, Dusk turned back around, blinked his eyes back to normal, met Grimbeorn's gaze, and nodded his head.

Grimbeorn waved for Dusk to follow. Dusk pattered off down the hall to follow the old swordsman through the ancient home.

Grimbeorn smirked.

 _(Just like his mother…)_

xXx

 **A/N: Yep. It ain't about the family fluff anymore.**

 **Well, it is, just now the family fluff actually has some conflict added in.**

 **If I messed you up with this chapter, oh please,** _ **oh please lemme know**_ **in the review section. I THRIVE off of reading how I play with you guys' emotions. It is my life-source, and I appreciate any and all feedback you wonderful peeps can give me.**

 **Yeah, I shaved off the last six pages of this chapter's first draft and placed it at the beginning of the next chapter's first draft, so you can all at least wait knowing the chapter has at least started getting written.**

 **However, this chapter is the last pre-written one I have out of all my fics, so I am sorry to say that the waiting game has begun again until I wrap up the first draft of "Eternal Autumn."**

 **Fret not, though. More will come as soon as I possibly can manage. I am trying to be the best writing machine just for you guys, because I love writing for you all.**

 **Genuinely.**

 **And I WILL fight to finish the first draft in the upcoming days.**

 **All I ask for is your patience. And as always, if you want to get into contact with me about anything at all, look for my username on Tumblr; "youweremeanttobehere"; and feel free to DM me!**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **The Ghost of You"**_ **– My Chemical Romance,** _ **"Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge"**_

" _ **Civilian"**_ **– Wye Oak,** _ **"Civilian"**_

" _ **Holding Out For A Hero"**_ **– Frou Frou,** _ **"Shrek 2"**_

" _ **New Person, Same Old Mistakes"**_ **– Tame Impala,** _ **"Currents"**_

" _ **Take Us Back"**_ **– Alela Diane,** _ **"To Be Still"**_

" _ **Must Be Dreaming"**_ **– Frou Frou,** _ **"Details"**_

" _ **From The Beginning"**_ **– Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, **_**"Trilogy"**_

 **Thanks a septillion again for your readership and your patience.**

 **As always, until next time,**

 **-M.E. Grimm**


	9. Heart of a Lion

**Author's Greetings:**

 **No, I still don't own RWBY. If I did, I wouldn't be uploading to Fanfiction, now, would I?**

 **Eleven months. Jesus.**

 **It took me a while, to say the least. And it took me that long for multiple reasons, but the primary one was my trying to come to terms with how to consistently write despite so many distractions and prior obligations I'm gaining as I go through college. Luckily, I think I've finally struck a happy medium with** _ **handwriting my first drafts**_ **and** _ **then**_ **transcribing them into a computer.**

 **Hell, even this message was written down in my notebook before it was typed down here. Don't want to get any more distracted by my computer screen than I have to.**

 **But man. The kittens are two years old now. And this story's gained a positive reputation far greater than even I could have anticipated.**

 **I thank you all again for your patience.**

 **Now, without any further ado, here's the next installment you've been waiting for.**

 **Hope ya'll enjoy.**

 **xXx**

 **Black Sun Kittens**

 _Written by M.E. Grimm_

 _ **(Chapter Nine: Heart of a Lion**_ _ **)**_

 _ **("I Bet My Life" – Part 5)**_

" _At the end of the day, day_

 _My momma told me don't let no one break me_

 _Let no one break me…_

 _At the end of the day, day_

 _I'm walking with the heart of a lion…"_

 **Kid Cudi,** _ **"Heart of a Lion"**_

xXx

 _Directly after Chapter Eight..._

xXx

"What do you think your abilities are, Dusk?" asked Grimbeorn. He didn't turn around as he asked the question; more asked the general area as they continued down the ancient stone steps. The sky was just beginning to transition from morning to afternoon but behind the thick, grey veil of cloud and mist, the difference was hard to tell. Afternoon was just a brighter version of the same prevailing grey.

Oh, right, Dusk thought, Grimbeorn's question. "I… I'm not sure."

"What can you do with it?"

Around a curve of the trail, the forest gave way. Another, smaller dojo stood roughly one-third the size of Grimbeorn's home. This place looked more serious, sturdier than the home Dusk walked from. The weight of years long since passed emanated about the area.

"I… I can see people's inner thoughts. Their feelings, their… true colors…"

Grimbeorn glanced over his shoulder at Dusk.

Dusk shrugged. "I dunno. That's just what I see."

Grimbeorn nodded to himself, turned back around. "Anything else?"

Dusk squinted. "I can see people's dreams, and interact with them."

"Is that what you were doing with your mother when you woke up?"

Dusk's eyes shot up immediately. "How did…?"

Grimbeorn chuckled. "It was a guess. Didn't think I'd be right."

Dusk puffed his cheeks at the old swordsman, but continued walking.

"Anything else?" asked Grimbeorn.

They reached the door to the dojo. Dusk noted the wood of the building seemed almost more well-taken-care-of than the actual house. He wondered what the place was for.

"I… can do more than experience people's dreams," said Dusk. "I can see their memories as though they were my own. And sometimes more than that; I get… visions… of things that haven't happened yet. Like what I saw before my mother left to come here, and before I woke up and walked around last night..."

Grimbeorn was silent for a moment, his eyes skirting up and down Dusk in a strange, silent evaluation. When done, he pulled open the door and held it for Dusk.

Dusk walked inside. The interior was beautiful, wide and spacious with a vast arrangement of melee weapons of all sorts scattered along the far-off walls. It was a training room, Dusk inferred. Ancient paintings in an art style Dusk had never seen draped from the ceiling above, depicting a snarling ronin with a wolf tail donning beautiful samurai armor and a gleaming jade katana on a verdant hillside. Some of these displayed scenes of triumphant warfare on distant lands. Others showed the ronin on his knees, lamenting the bodies of fallen ones he may have called comrades or loved ones.

Others depicted a rosy-cheeked woman with a raccoon's tail standing tall by his side, making him smile and laugh. A particularly beautiful one, draped on a wall to Dusk's right, showed the samurai standing proud before his kneeling wife. Her belly bloomed with child beneath her kimono, and both she and her husband smiled as though to laugh as their numerous children bickered and teased and rough-housed before their illustrious home.

Dusk noticed in every one of the paintings, the ronin's right arm was made of what looked like pure jade.

"What is this place?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn breathed in, exhaled. "An heirloom of a dying legacy. My family's armory."

"Wow…" Dusk looked around at the illustrious room once again. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Grimbeorn kneaded Dusk's shoulder softly, then breathed another long sigh. "Few people who've trained under this roof are still alive."

A shiver rattled through Dusk.

 _("Faster, Blake! Come on! Faster! Move your feet! Move your feet!")_

 _("Adam!")_

 _("ADAM!")_

" _Dusk._ "

Dusk blinked to awareness. He took in a deep breath and anchored himself with how aged the dojo was. It was not the bright, spotless training area he'd just envisioned. Looking up at Master Grimbeorn, he was an aged man approaching the evening of his life; not the dark-haired adult he'd just seen pacing with authority in his step and power in his youth.

His mother wasn't in the dojo with him right now, nor was she a child as he'd just seen her.

Adam was dead.

Dusk blinked again, and his eyes were his own once more. "S-Sorry, master… I…"

"It's of no fault of yours, boy," said Grimbeorn.

Dusk shook his head, huffing in frustration. "I wish I could make this stop. I wish I could sleep again…"

Grimbeorn said nothing, only continued to knead Dusk's shoulder. The old swordsman ended with a gentle pat, then nudged Dusk forward. "Come. There's something I wish to try with you."

Dusk saw little else to do but follow, and so kept pace with Grimbeorn. As the high racks of sheathed blades passed by him, Dusk wondered for a moment how those blades near the top were supposed to be reached, but was interrupted as he saw Grimbeorn stop in front of a rack of wooden swords instead. The old swordsman's hand roamed up and down the rack, choosing one near the middle and weighing it in one hand. After a moment's consideration, he offered it to Dusk.

Dusk considered asking why, but curiosity got the better of him, and he carefully took the wooden blade. It felt slightly heavy to him, and the blade length was almost too large for him. There was a strange familiarity to it…

"How does it feel?" asked Grimbeorn.

Dusk held it with both hands before himself, testing his grip on it and wondering if he was doing anything right. "I can't tell."

"Have you never held a katana blade before?"

Dusk's lips drew a flat, confused grimace.

"Your mother uses one to fight, how do you not…?" Grimbeorn shook his head. "Nevermind, that's not the point. Come, follow me."

Grimbeorn waved Dusk towards the middle of the practicing hall where a circle in the fabric prompted Dusk to stay within. Grimbeorn stood across from Dusk, folding his flesh-and-blood arm behind his back.

Grimbeorn said, "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

Dusk squinted at Grimbeorn. "What?"

"I said," repeated Grimbeorn, unfurling his jade arm before Dusk, "I want you to hit me with that practice blade as hard as you can."

Dusk considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "Alright, then…"

"Dusk, there is literally no way you can hurt me. Just do it."

Dusk prepared the sword in his grip, making sure it was secure in his hands. Then, he focused on Grimbeorn, breathed, and lunged forward with a forceful cry to bring the blade down. The sword collided with Grimbeorn's jade arm, lifted at the last second to block the blow with a force Dusk hadn't expected. There was a low, throbbing hum that pulsed through the practice blade. Glancing up, Dusk saw the crystal arm glowing with power out from where his sword made contact; as though it were _absorbing the force of his attack_.

Grimbeorn's eyes opened after a moment of stillness, and he flexed his jade fist open and shut. The glowing of the jade arm faded, and the old swordsman lifted an intrigued brow. "Curious…"

"What?" asked Dusk, "What's curious?"

Grimbeorn hesitated a moment, then waved Dusk to follow. They came to a stop again before the rack of wooden swords. He held out an open hand to Dusk, and Dusk returned the wooden blade to Grimbeorn's care. He didn't say aloud he was somewhat relieved to be rid of the thing. He'd come to realize it didn't feel right in his hands, though he couldn't understand why.

"Here," said Grimbeorn, presenting a new, smaller wooden blade which, in the old master's hand, seemed to be the size of a dagger. Even at first glance, Dusk could tell this blade would fit him much better. Sure enough, when he held it in both hands, examined how it felt in his grip and its weight as he swung it, Dusk felt exponentially more at ease.

It almost seemed to have been made for him.

"Does that feel better?" asked Grimbeorn.

"Yes, master." Dusk gripped the blade in his little fists, twirled it in small circles about his pivoting wrist. "This feels much better."

Grimbeorn gave an approving hum, then walked back to the center of the training mat, wordlessly expecting Dusk to follow. When Dusk stopped across from Grimbeorn, he offered his jade arm out to Dusk.

"Again."

Dusk curled like a coiled spring, remembering his mother's-

 _(Fast and swift, snap your arm out like a whip. The blade will do the rest if your aim is true.)_

-memories, then snapped into a natural twirl with another forceful shout.

The blade made solid contact again, and Dusk glanced up to see Grimbeorn's jade hand stopping the blade mere few inches from his sinewy neck. Their eyes met, and Grimbeorn smiled. There was the familiar pulse of power, the throbbing glow of Grimbeorn's jade arm. Dusk retracted the blade and bowed with a slight nod.

Grimbeorn clenched and released his fist again, and the jade glow faded after a few moments. "Very curious, indeed…"

"Sir… what's the purpose of all this? I-If you don't mind me asking, that is…"

"Curiosity, more than anything else." The old swordsman folded his arms behind his back once more and smiled mysteriously at Dusk. "Among other things..."

Dusk scowled at Grimbeorn. "Master, please…"

"Testing you. Wanted to… get a feel of what you have within you." Grimbeorn unfolded his jade arm from behind his back and held it up to examine it, turning it this way and that for Dusk to see. "The Semblance of Crystalization. The crystal is an extension of me, and I, an extension of it."

A shift of power, and Dusk was mistified to behold the jade of Grimbeorn's arm thread across his chest in lattice seams from his right to his left arm.

"It is my shield…"

Grimbeorn snapped into a defensive posture, his arms solidifying into jade. Pure crystal hands and forearms thinning into jade vines the closer to his center they went.

"... my blade…"

Grimbeorn blurred into a spinning kick. There was a sound like a high-pitched whistle, a blade arcing through the air. Grimbeorn twirled once, then drove his foot into the ground. Directly down from his heel was an outgrowth of crystal gleaming sharp in the dim light of the dojo. When Grimbeorn lifted his foot, Dusk saw the outgrowth was a perfectly formed katana blade. Sharp. Gleaming. Deadly.

"... and a conduit."

The jade blade retracted into Grimbeorn's crystal foot, then the crystal changed locations again. It surged into Grimbeorn's left arm again and before Dusk could blink, the old swordsman dropped to a low crouch, reached into the palm of his crystal hand with the other, and sliced forward at the empty space before him. Dusk didn't see when Grimbeorn summoned forth the jade blade, but there it was. Real as anything in Grimbeorn's flesh and blood hand.

And it _glowed and vibrated with a latent power capable of cutting through lighting, itself._

"Amazing…" Dusk whispered.

Grimbeorn stood from his crouch, twirled the blade around, then sheathed the blade back into his jade arm. "It's been in my family bloodline for generations. Passed down from father to son since before this island was first claimed by my ancestors."

"Wow… That's incredible," said Dusk.

"It's a curse," said Grimbeorn. "One I must bear."

The ensuing silence hit Dusk in a way he hadn't expected.

"We're done here. There's something else I want to show you back at the house."

Grimbeorn turned and walked off towards the entrance of the dojo. Dusk blinked a few times before realizing Grimbeorn was leaving him and called out, "W-Wait! We're leaving? Just like that?"

Grimbeorn opened the door, then turned back around to Dusk and nodded. "Yes. Just like that. You coming or not?"

Dusk held up the wooden blade. "What do I do with this?"

"Take it with you, obviously. _I_ don't need it. I know what _my_ weapon is." Grimbeorn kicked the door open with a soft nudge of his heel. "Come on, boy. We're wasting time."

Dusk made it out of the training dojo just as the door shut behind him.

xXx

They made their way back to the sprawling estate, Dusk following Grimbeorn through the quiet halls in tired curiosity. He suddenly noticed he hadn't seen Goldberry all morning, and became all at once aware of her absence. "Master Grimbeorn?"

Grimbeorn acknowledged Dusk's question with a grunt.

"Uh… Where's Miss Goldberry?"

Grimbeorn glanced over his shoulder for a moment, then continued walking. "She's taking care of things on the island. She'll likely be back by midday."

"What kinds of things?"

Grimbeorn was quiet. "Cleaning up."

Dusk narrowed his eyes.

"You can either take the hint, or see things none too pleasant, boy," said Grimbeorn. "The choice is yours."

Dusk hesitated. In the ensuing lack of conversation, Grimbeorn simply focused on walking down the hall.

But Dusk, ever curious, decided he was tired of adults hiding things from him. With feline eyes, Dusk's 'sight' pulsed into the old swordsman's Aura and he saw-

 _(Grimbeorn sprinting through the moonless woods, taking off after the ones who'd taken his niece.)_

 _(It wasn't long before he found them. Three dressed in black, two carrying the limp form of Goldberry towards a boat on the shore. They would not leave the island alive.)_

 _(Before he reached the clearing of the shore, Grimbeorn saw the figure leaping down from the trees in ambush. There was only a slight halt in Grimbeorn's momentum as he pivoted on his heel, fell into a crouch, and drew the jade blade from his crystal arm. The assassin hit the ground long dead, legs and torso bisected from one another. The blade cut through Aura like heated knife through butter. The attacker didn't stand a chance. Grimbeorn pivoted again and sprinted with the fury of a warrior reawakened.)_

 _(The assassins at the boat heard the wet thump of dead flesh as well as Grimbeorn's falling footsteps. The free assassin drew his blade and jerked his head towards the boat, urging his two teammates to hurry and-)_

 _(A glint from the forest. A sharp whistle scratching the air. The assassin holding Goldberry's shoulders crumpled and dropped into the water twitching, a glowing jade kunai deeply lodged into his head. Goldberry's head smacked against the side of the boat and fell into the water.)_

 _(The remaining assassins turned to where the knife was thrown. The rogue holding Goldberry's legs promptly let go, reaching for his blade strapped to his back.)_

 _(Another flash from the forest, humming with a deadly, sharp metronome like a turbine. The assassin on the shore could barely react to the jade katana flying towards him, embedding itself into his neck.)_

 _(Grimbeorn was upon the stuck assassin in a flash, dashing across the island shore, and grabbing hold of the blade still in the rogue's throat. The old swordsman removed it with a sideways swipe, then enveloped his target in a flurry so fast that it appeared to Dusk like a flash of jade lighting. The assassin was reduced to bloody ribbons in seconds.)_

 _(The remaining assassin panicked in removing his gunblade and aimed it at Grimbeorn. In another flash of movement, Grimbeorn was beneath the man's arms. The jade katana had been swung, cutting through the assassin's arms as well as cutting off the front half of his head in one, clean swing. The dead man fell into the water with a splash, and Goldberry burst from the water with a deep gulp of air.)_

 _(Grimbeorn sheathed his blade and helped Goldberry to her feet, calming her and brushing her damp bangs from her flushed face.)_

 _("They're in the house…" breathed Goldberry. "They're in the house with Blake and Dusk, we have to go back…!")_

 _("Did they do anything to you? Fawnie, did they hurt you?!" asked Grimbeorn.)_

 _("Uncle, I'm fine, but they're in there with Blake and-_ _ **uncle look out!**_ _")_

 _(Goldberry ducked under her uncle's grasp and threw her hand out. There was a sharp hiss of ice crystallizing, and Grimbeorn turned to see three more assassins behind him; their weapons in their hands, primed and ready to strike. Their bodies were all completely still, however, as each molecule of water in their bodies locked up from Goldberry's simple command. Ice crawled across the black fabric of their stealth suits. White clouds of their breaths escaped into the night air, then nothing escaped at all.)_

 _(Goldberry stepped before the three frozen assassins, her enraged glare burning like hellish blue fire. With a wave of her arms, the water which drenched her orbited in suspension around her. Goldberry lifted her hands up, clenched her fists. The water crystallized into three keenly sharp icicles, each which found their mark in the assassins' foreheads.)_

 _("If they've laid so much as a finger on that little boy…" said Goldberry.)_

 _(Her glare turned back up the island, and she walked back into the forest. Grimbeorn followed his niece without saying word.)_

Dusk's 'sight' rushed back, and he breathed a soft gasp, stumbling against the wall.

Grimbeorn stopped in front of his room and glanced back at Dusk. "Was it pleasant?"

Dusk turned up to glare at Grimbeorn for a moment, but said nothing. He realized he was standing in front of Grimbeorn's room, and his eyes grew wide with fear.

"The room's been cleaned, boy. There's nothing in there to spook you but your own imagination," said Grimbeorn.

Dusk remained against the far wall nonetheless. He still remembered last night, and the images which came filled him with lethargy. He met Grimbeorn's eyes and shook his head.

Grimbeorn rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Suit yourself."

The old swordsman walked in and closed the door behind him. Dusk was left to the quiet of the dojo and his own thoughts. Thoughts of worry and exhaustion and death and Goldberry and last night's harrowing fight and of his mother killing and of everyone around him so casually killing, killing everything and everyone, staining their hands with blood, and wondering, fearing, that one day he'd be no different from them and that he might very well become like them and blood would be on his hands, except then it would be his fault, and he-

Dusk couldn't stand the hurricane brewing in his head, and with a soft cry forced himself to enter Grimbeorn's room.

It was as Grimbeorn had said. The room was indeed cleaned up from last night. There were no signs whatsoever of someone being killed and another being beaten within an inch of his life.

But Dusk could certainly remember it clear enough.

 _(And in the corner of his eye, Dusk could swear he saw a Faunus woman standing in the corner of the room. Her skin deathly pale. A hole blown into her right eye. Looking at him.)_

"Dusk."

Dusk blinked, and the room was normal again. Grimbeorn was kneeling before what Dusk figured to be some kind of shrine. A few sticks of incense laid in the small stone cauldron on the desk of the shrine, right before the picture of a smiling woman with beautiful, flowing golden hair and jade green eyes.

A similar pair of jade green eyes were fixed on Dusk, belonging to Grimbeorn. "It's alright. Nothing can hurt you. It's just in your head."

Dusk breathed with a shudder, walked beside the old swordsman. "How can you be so sure it's just in my head?"

Grimbeorn shrugged. "I'm not. It just seems to know the best ways to scare you."

Dusk grimaced, unconvinced.

"Semblances are not meant to do the user harm. If this is happening, Dusk, then it simply means your Semblance is destined to become a truly powerful one." Grimbeorn held his jade palm out before Dusk, splayed his fingers. "I can't remember all the times mine almost consumed me because I couldn't control it. I was weak-willed."

"Does that mean I'm weak-willed, too?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn let fall his jade hand and laughed a low, rumbling chuckle. "Dusk, you probably have the strongest will I've seen in any person I've ever met on this planet. Faunus, or no."

Dusk's kitten ears perked up. "R-Really…?"

"Like I said, your Semblance is powerful," said Grimbeorn, poking Dusk's forehead with a jade finger, "but you're scared of it. Deathly so. The Semblance reflects your soul, but what happens when your soul's first bloom into maturity is entrapped in disquiet?"

Dusk's demeanor clouded again, his kitten ears drooping, and his slouch returning on its own.

Grimbeorn reached down and pulled out the bottom half of the shrine, revealing a hidden drawer. "The only one who can answer the questions you have about your inner self is _you._ _You_ are the one who will conquer your inner turmoil. _You_ are the one who will wage the war to regain the birthright of your Semblance from the fear holding it captive."

Grimbeorn reached into the hidden compartment and pulled out an ancient box before Dusk. It was roughly the size of a small table-top, and patterned with beautifully ornate markings across the wooden surface. When the box moved, a collective of loose objects rattled about within. It was offered to Dusk, and he took it carefully in his hands.

"Open it," said Grimbeorn.

Dusk opened it as Grimbeorn asked. Inside the top were two neatly arranged armies of impeccably carved ebony and ivory chess pieces held in black satin. On the bottom, Dusk ran his hand across the polished surface of a beautiful chessboard shining up at him.

"Do you play, Dusk?" asked Grimbeorn.

"My mama taught me," answered Dusk. "Why?"

Grimbeorn smiled at the mention of Blake's instruction. "So your mother taught you something useful, after all." Dusk scowled at Grimbeorn, but the old swordsman accepted the glare with a casual shrug. After, he reached over and tapped his jade finger on the chessboard. "Do you know what this is, Dusk?"

Dusk shook his head "no."

"This belonged to your grandparents, an heirloom carried by each of the Chieftians of the founding clans of the White Fang." Grimbeorn smiled warmly, then nodded at Dusk. "It belongs to you, now."

"Wha-?!" Dusk glanced back and forth between Grimbeorn and the chess set. "I-I'm not… I-I'm not a prince or anything! I'm… I'm just… I don't think I'm the one who should have something so important like this…!"

"You are the last male heir of the Belladonna clan, Dusk. It wasn't meant for anyone else but you, I promise you that."

Dusk's worried glances continued to skirt between the chess set and the old swordsman. He noticed for the first time his mother's symbol clearly emblazoned above the metal latch. He swallowed nervously. "Why didn't my mama take it…? Why do you have it and not her...?"

Grimbeorn faltered. He sat back on his haunches and breathed in a long, wizened sigh. "Dusk… Something you need to understand about your mother is that… well…"

"What?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your mother… I'd… _hoped_ her disdain for the White Fang wouldn't leave any future children she bore as ignorant of their lineage as you apparently are… But your mother is ashamed of the White Fang. And that is why this chessboard is in my possession and not hers. You see, Dusk… your mother helped bring into power the version of the White Fang that Adam Taurus once stood for. And I'm certain that's the reason she never told you how deep her connection with our organization went." Grimbeorn paused for a moment, then ran a hand through his greying hair. "Your mother wouldn't appreciate me telling you all this, but I feel you are owed an explanation better than the ones she's given you and your sister about what it is the White Fang existed for…"

"The White Fang helped with Salem's Cataclysm," said Dusk.

"Yes, we did," said Grimbeorn. "But before that, we tried to create a link between Human and Faunus governments. We tried to make peace, in the beginning."

"They killed lots of innocent people."

"Yes, it did. And we will never wash from our hands the sins we committed as Salem's proxies."

"Did… Did my mama ever kill innocent people?"

Grimbeorn shook his head. "I do not know, Dusk. As far as I know, she hasn't. But… your mother has a bad habit of keeping secrets, if you haven't already learned that for yourself."

Dusk turned his gaze down to the ground. "Has she… killed before-?"

"Dusk."

"Hmm?"

Grimbeorn met Dusk with a stern glare. He was silent for a moment, then said in a clear voice, "We have all killed people before. I've killed people. Goldberry has killed people before. Your mother has killed people before. I'm sure your aunts and uncles have, themselves, been faced with the inexorable situation in which they are supposed to trade one life for another's, and then followed through with said trade."

Dusk's breath hitched beneath his breast. "I don't like killing."

"Neither do I," said Grimbeorn, his voice soft. "But sometimes we must do what others cannot, for the betterment of those we hold most dear."

 _("I did all of this for_ _ **you**_ _, Blake!")_

Dusk shivered imperceptibly. His arms wrapped around himself, warming himself from a chill he hadn't felt. "I… I can't agree with you."

"Let me show you something, Dusk," said Grimbeorn.

"Show me what?" asked Dusk. But Grimbeorn was already up and walking to one of his bedside drawers, fumbling around for something within. Dusk stood and walked beside the old swordsman just as Grimbeorn took out something which looked like a leather collar to toss it onto the bed.

"That," said Grimbeorn, pointing at the collar. "Look at that and tell me what you see, Dusk."

Dusk reached for the worn leather collar, but hesitated. He could feel something emanating from the object, like crude oil sliding slick and invisible to everyone but him.

"What is it?" asked Dusk.

Grimbeorn glanced at Dusk fleetingly, then went back to rummaging through the bedside drawer. "Pick it up. Look at it with your own two eyes and tell me exactly what you see."

Dusk could see a metal buckle of some make on the collar, but it was facing away from him. He needed to turn it to see what was engraved on the front, and to turn it, Dusk needed to touch it.

Mustering up his courage, Dusk took a few long breaths, then turned the collar-

 _(There was the clang, clang, clang of the workers in the mines and nothing else around Dusk's perception for a fleeting moment. He saw around him Faunus of various breeds and characteristics all clothed in worn, tattered, ill-fitting jumpsuits. There was a voice blaring out above the methodical clang, clang, clang of the workers, telling them to speed up and maximize their efficiency for the good of the company and - by association - the good of themselves.)_

 _(A Gorilla Faunus lumbered past him, pushing a cart filled to the brim with raw Dust shards with heavy, wheezing breaths following his every step.)_

 _("Keep going, sis…")_

 _(Dusk glanced to his side. A teenage Grimbeorn, covered from head to toe with dirt and soot, was helping the person whose eyes Dusk was viewing this memory through to push the mining cart down the tracks.)_

 _("Keep going, sis," Grimbeorn repeated, gritting his teeth and straining to push all his weight into the cart. "We've gotta keep going… We can't show them any weakness… C'mon…")_

 _(Dusk heard a pathetic, meek whimper escape the lips of his body's owner. She, too, redoubled her efforts into pushing the cart. She did this alongside the countless other Faunus workers who were doing the same on tracks stretching across the vast Dust quarry.)_

 _(And on everything that wasn't a living thing, on the lapels of every jumpsuit, emblazoned on the side of every mining cart, on each warning sign and on every armored guard kicking and spitting at the workers too tired to work…)_

 _(… A perfectly symmetrical snowflake-)_

-revealing the Schnee family crest engraved into the front of the collar.

Dusk stumbled back, pressing his hand to his racing heart. "Oh, Gods…"

Suddenly, a second collar was tossed onto the bed beside the first. This one did not bear the Schnee family crest, but was of an entirely different make; the collar made of black leather and the metal clasp bearing the symbol of Atlas.

Grimbeorn then tossed another collar onto the bed. Then another. And another. And another. On and on and on…

"Gods…" whispered Dusk. "Gods, why are there so many?!"

"Because," said Grimbeorn, tossing out the last collar and sliding the drawer shut. "They-" Grimbeorn said, pointing at the pile of collars, "set out to make Faunuskind the tools of an empire built on the backs of our children and our children's children. To make me, my sister, your father, your mother, your sister, _you,_ " Grimbeorn pointed at Dusk, "all to be used day in and day out like tools."

Dusk shook his head. "I don't believe you…"

Grimbeorn chuckled, lifted his hands as though to say 'come on,' then picked up the Schnee collar and twirled it in his jade fingers. "This was my sister's, you know? Don't think I didn't see you space out; you saw what she and I went through. What she and I did to survive our indenture, you saw some of what those mines held for us, don't you lie to me, either."

"I-I did, I just…" Dusk shook his head. "Auntie Weiss… She's only ever been nice to us!"

Grimbeorn laughed, caught the collar in his hand, the metal engraving facing Dusk. "You think she was _always_ your sweet, doting, affectionate little _auntie?_ There was a time when your own mother would have put a bullet in that brat's skull the instant she got a clear line of fire."

"Auntie Weiss is my _godmother!_ "

Grimbeorn hurled the metal collar sideways to slam against the wall with a hard, loud noise. Dusk flinched, jumping back as he prepared for the old swordsman to fly into a rage.

But Grimbeorn only stood there, his chest rising and falling, his jaws and fists clenched tight as he shut his eyes to calm himself down.

"And Kali Belladonna," said Grimbeorn, "is your grandmother… But you don't even know who she is, do you?"

Dusk was silent. He raked his memory, trying to remember a time when his mama had mentioned the name "Kali Belladonna" in the past. He couldn't remember such a time. The name was entirely new to him.

" _Do you?_ " said Grimbeorn, his tone low, his voice firm.

Dusk flinched. "N-No. No, I-I don't… I don't know my grandma…"

"Did your mother tell you she barely got to know her parents?" asked Grimbeorn. "Or did she just neglect to tell you yet again about your lineage?"

Dusk was trembling now, and he couldn't stop shaking his head. He couldn't hold back the moisture building in his eyes, the emotions welling up within him as he realized his mama was not the woman he once believed her to be. She was capable of being a liar. She was capable of being manipulative. She was… She was…

"I don't… I don't know who…!" cried Dusk. The tears poured forth, and Dusk had to lean himself against the bed as he felt the weight of his entire life with his mother collapse directly on top of him. "I don't know who my mama is anymore…! I don't… I don't know who to trust… I don't know anyone anymore… I don't know anyone anymore…"

Grimbeorn remained apart from Dusk as the little boy wept against the side of the bed. He didn't show concern outwardly simply because that was the person he'd been for, well, as long as he could rightly remember. But it wasn't for a lack of sympathy; he felt concern for the poor boy. Dusk didn't deserve the anguish he was going through, that much Grimbeorn knew, but it was also the only conceivable outcome after the ignorance his mother had left him in.

A piece of Grimbeorn could understand why Blake had kept this part of her life a secret. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Grimbeorn to sit in _seiza_ beside the boy and run his normal hand up and down his quivering back in gentle, soothing ministrations.

"Alright, Dusk… It's alright…" said Grimbeorn.

Dusk glanced over his shoulder at the old swordsman, his beautiful golden eyes red and puffy as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Why… Why would mama not tell us about this…? Why wouldn't she…? Why wouldn't she tell us about our grandparents?"

Grimbeorn shrugged softly. "Knowing your mother, it probably seemed the best course of action to just not tell you."

"Why… Why would she think that?"

Grimbeorn chuckled at this. "Because your mother has always made bad decisions when it comes to how it will affect those around her."

Dusk stared at Grimbeorn, unable to reply.

Grimbeorn shrugged. "She's just a bad judge when it comes to that, I'm afraid."

Dusk frowned. He wondered if this would always be a problem with his mama, but then realized the truth in what Grimbeorn was telling him. She _had_ always been someone to make those problems. He'd seen it with his own two eyes in the past, but now it was all starting to come together in his head.

Then, Dusk muttered, "Oh, no…"

"What?"

"Papa…" Dusk pressed his hands against his forehead. "Papa's gonna be so mad at mama and me…"

Grimbeorn was tempted to ask further, but decided he'd best leave it alone for now. He simply watched Dusk with a quaint smile, then walked over to the collar he'd thrown and picked it back up, placed it back onto the bed. "Who's your father, if you don't mind my asking?"

Dusk glanced up at Grimbeorn, paused for a moment, then said, "His name is Sun. Sun Wukong…"

"How is he?"

"He's a good papa."

"You love him?"

"Uh-huh."

"Your mama love him, too?"

Dusk nodded adamantly. Grimbeorn chuckled, nodded. "Good to know. Good to know…"

Dusk eventually calmed and glanced over to the chess set, picked it up. He moved it around in his hands, inspecting all its sides and intricacies. "You said this was mine, now?"

"Hmm?" Grimbeorn glanced at Dusk, the chess set, and nodded. "Mmhm. That's yours now."

Dusk looked back at the chess set with wide-eyed wonder, shook the box a little to hear the pieces rattle inside, then held the set close to his chest. "Thank you, master…"

Grimbeorn shook his hand dismissively. "No thanks needed. That's your inheritance right there, young master Wukong. It was meant to be in your hands the minute your mama brought you into this world."

Dusk heard this with a cherry-red blush in his soft cheeks. "Can I… go show my mama?"

Grimbeorn glanced at Dusk, hesitated for a moment. "Are you… feeling up to talking with her?"

Dusk thought to himself. He knew what Grimbeorn was saying and part of him still was shaken from the revelations of his mother, yes.

"I'm not ready," said Dusk, looking up at Grimbeorn. "But I want the truth, sir. And I want to hear her tell me what the truth is because she's my mother, and I know she loves me enough to tell me what that truth is, now."

Grimbeorn kept Dusk's gaze. He wasn't sure Dusk could make full note of this, but Grimbeorn was so impressed with the boy's new air of maturity that he, for the briefest moments, didn't see Dusk as the meek child he'd been when he'd arrived. There was resolution in the boy's stature, and it seemed he stood a little taller now; a little straighter, and with just a little more strength than he'd had earlier that day. He stood like… like a young prince would.

And seeing this newfound quality in his pupil's son, Grimbeorn smiled sagely and gave a courteous bow which – unbeknownst to Dusk – was common custom between two Chieftians coming to an agreement. He began putting the collars back into the drawer and said, "Just let me put away some of this stuff. I'm sure your mama's gonna be wondering where you…"

Grimbeorn's words trailed off. Dusk looked at the old swordsman as he began putting away the collars with quickened haste. "What's wrong?"

"Your mother. She'll wake up without seeing you there and panic. I know her." Grimbeorn dropped the last collar into the drawer then waved for Dusk to follow him. Dusk was off the bed and on his feet in an instant. He followed closely behind Grimbeorn through the halls, keeping his new chess set clutched tight against his chest. His heart pounded in his chest. Would she still be angry? Would she still be feeling bad after how he'd reacted to her last night?

Would her knuckles still be bruised like before? Had they healed at all?

Did he even still trust her anymore…?

" _Where is he?!_ "

Blake's voice was distinct to both Dusk and Grimbeorn. They turned and looked to one another, then realized at once who she was yelling at.

" _I told you, I don't know where Dusk is! Maybe Uncle Grimbeorn took him out for a quick walk or something!"_

"Fawnie…" said Grimbeorn. He picked up his pace, and Dusk did the same. It wasn't long before they turned a corner and came across the sight of Blake and Goldberry standing across from each other in the living room, eyes narrowed into baleful slits as they seethed at one another.

"I don't understand why you seem to think I'm not telling the truth to you, Blake! I literally gain nothing by lying about these things to you!" said Goldberry.

"Because _I don't trust you!_ Why is it Master Grimbeorn never so much as uttered a word about you during all my years under his tutelage, huh? Why would he neglect to bring up the topic that he - you know - _has a sister, let alone a niece that he never once mentioned_!" said Blake.

It was at that moment Grimbeorn and Dusk turned the corner. Both women turned and looked, Blake's eyes narrowing at Grimbeorn, then growing wide when she saw Dusk walk out from behind his leg.

"Dusk…!" Blake opened her mouth to say something further, but her words seemed to catch and choke in her throat. She couldn't speak to him. As though she were afraid to speak to her son, afraid to look him in the eye.

The spectre of last night lingered, it still seemed.

 _(I'm so, so sorry…)_

Dusk saw his mother rub her hands nervously together, then hide them behind her back. Dusk couldn't meet his mother's eyes either, and looked down and away as well.

"What's going on here?" asked Grimbeorn, the question not a question, but an order. Blake flinched.

"Your former student here just accused me of being a double-agent!" said Goldberry.

"That's not true, I just wanted to know where my son was..." said Blake.

"Then what the hell was that about 'not trusting me?' Why else would you mention that unless you thought I was somehow behind the attack or behind those assassins getting onto the island?!"

All eyes turned to Blake, including Grimbeorn's.

"Master… I'm sorry, but I just don't remember your ever mentioning a sister or a niece once while I grew up here. I just didn't know who this person is that you're calling your niece, I…"

"No," said Grimbeorn. "I never mentioned my sister to you, Blake. Not once."

Silence. Dusk looked to Grimbeorn and Goldberry, but both seemed unwilling to talk. Goldberry had her eyes trained down to the ground, the expression on her face one of pain, of knowing something just waiting to burst out but which must not be released. As though hiding a secret which bore with it a multitude of powerful emotions.

 _(Anger.)_

 _(Resentment.)_

 _(Sorrow.)_

 _(Love.)_

 _(Hate.)_

 _(Humiliation.)_

 _(Regret.)_

 _(The painful yearning for a loved one. No. For loved ones. For her Faunus mother, and her human-)_

"Fawnie," said Grimbeorn, his voice low and firm, shattering the silence.

Goldberry flinched, looked up at her uncle, pain still painted on her expression.

"We need to interrogate our unwelcomed guest," he said, jutting his chin towards the back of the manor. Goldberry didn't object, and when Grimbeorn walked past her, she followed him without comment or resistance. She didn't look at Blake or Dusk as she went.

When they were gone, Dusk and Blake became aware of their being the only two in the living room. Their eyes met, but immediately fell away. Neither knew what was repelling them from each other. They had fears, concerns, anxieties swimming about in turbulent seas within, but these weren't what halted their speech. Dusk knew as well as Blake did they wanted nothing more than to ask how the other was doing, how they were feeling, and to talk.

The gravity of this daunted mother and son for a moment, for too long a moment, a moment neither had the courage to break.

"Mama-"

"Dusk, I-"

The two looked at each other, flustered.

"S-Sorry, mama," said Dusk.

"N-No, baby, go ahead," said Blake. She rubbed her hands together nervously, each stroke deliberately attempting to mask her bruised knuckles as she looked hopefully, imploringly at her son. "You… You wanted to say something?"

Dusk opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. His mother's eyes; he'd never dreamed he'd see them in their current state. Ringed and sunken in from tears, anxiety, and insomnia. And moreover, she looked at Dusk with the most powerful regret he'd ever seen. He didn't need to use his 'sight' to know her every thought revolved solely around him in this moment, and it pained him.

"S… Sweetie?" said Blake. Her hands were clasped together and pressed softly against her chest, fearful as though the slightest gesture would cause her son to flee.

Dusk thought to himself for a moment, then asked, "How… How're you feeling, mama?"

Blake was taken aback for a moment. It took a moment's consideration, then she managed to say, "I'm doing fine, baby. You don't need to worry about me. I just… I just want to make… make sure you're…"

"I'm okay, mama," said Dusk with a gentle chuckle. He laughed good-naturedly, then looked back to his mother to see her expression collapsing in on itself. Tears poured down her cheeks, and she had to press a hand to her mouth to keep herself from crying aloud as she fell to her knees.

Her hands flew to cover her face, and Dusk couldn't take the display of his mother's sorrows. He ran up to her, dropping his chessboard and wooden sword as he threw his arms about her neck and held her tighter than he'd ever done before. Her arms constricted about him, and he couldn't leave her.

But he didn't want to. Dusk held onto his mother as though she were the only thing between him and pure, void-black oblivion. He knew her warmth, knew the feeling of her presence since long before he understood the complexities of her soul, and Dusk held his mother tight in his embrace, feeling his own tears cascading down his gentle, soft cheeks. Tears not of sorrow, but of relief and of joy.

"I'm okay, mama," Dusk whispered to Blake, burying his face in her neck. "I'm okay. I promise I'm okay…"

Blake gasped a wretched sob, pulled her son deeper into her embrace and peppered Dusk with kiss after tearful kiss, as though every kiss she'd given him in the past didn't count and now she was paying Dusk back in due interest. "I was so scared, baby… I was so, so, so scared that they'd…!"

"I'm okay, mama!" said Dusk with a bright giggle. "I'm okay, okay?"

Blake laughed merrily, pulling her son closer into her embrace as he giggled and squirmed playfully in her arms. She loved the feeling, and so did he. It was the feeling of untapped innocence and love as from before they came to this place of dead memories and living regrets. Dusk associated this warmth with the comfort and safety he'd felt as an infant.

And fleeting though it was, Dusk enjoyed the moment for what it was.

xXx

Blake and Dusk went outside the manor to walk. Dusk placed his ancestral chessboard in his backpack and opted to carry his wooden katana in his free hand. Blake walked beside her son, holding his hand securely with one hand and having Gambol Shroud in pistol form in the other. They walked together down the stone steps, both allowing the peace and quiet of the island to envelop them.

"How're you feeling, sweetie?" asked Blake.

Dusk yawned. "Still tired. But okay."

Blake stroked her thumb lovingly along the back of her son's hand. "I'm sorry, baby."

Dusk wanted to remind her it was okay again, but stopped himself. He knew what she'd respond to that with, and he wasn't in the mood to have such a circular conversation.

Instead, Dusk said, "I never thanked you for saving me, mama."

Blake glanced down at Dusk. She sighed softly, stroked his hand with her thumb again. "It's alright, sweet pea. I know you were…"

Both fell silent, allowing involuntarily the moment to hold longer than it should have.

"I know… I scared you, sweetie."

Dusk shook his head with a soft sigh. "Mama…"

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you here. You were _my_ responsibility and I…"

Dusk clenched his mother's hand and pressed himself to her side. "Stop it, mama. Please… just stop."

Blake's breath hitched as she felt the warm weight of her son against her hip. "What… do you want me to say, baby?"

Dusk thought for a moment while they walked. He couldn't think of anything else to say. Nothing he could tell her would make her feel any better about herself. And maybe that was the point. Maybe his mama didn't deserve to feel good after making such a huge mistake. She _had_ put him in harm's way. She _had_ chosen to come here while still knowing fully well how dangerous it would be for him.

Dusk, on some level, understood this. Still, he didn't want to add to his mother's anguish. He did not need to remind her of what she already knew regarding her mistake.

So, Dusk decided to ask her something different.

"I want you to tell me who you are, mama," said Dusk.

All was silent in the forest. They came to a crossroads, a fork in the path, and Dusk glanced up at his mother. Blake's feline ears twitched atop her raven-black, short-cropped hair before pointing to the trail on her left. "I hear wind and water down that way. Wanna walk that way, kitten?"

Dusk shrugged and nodded. He walked beside her, his hand still in hers while they went down the stone path.

"I'm your mama, Dusk," said Blake finally. "And I love you very, very much."

The stone stairs weaved through the forest down towards bright green grass in the distance. Blake glanced down at her son and saw his golden eyes peering up at her, still waiting for an answer.

Blake hesitated, then breathed a sigh. "What do you want to know about me, Dusk? That I was a criminal once? That I was a terrorist? Do you want to know if I'm proud of what I did back then? Because I'm not. I was a monster. A pathological, selfish, resentful, hateful little girl who believed the world would be better if only people could act and think and speak and do only _exactly_ what I wanted them to do. I'd convinced myself upon the belief the world owed me because of how much us Faunus had suffered. Everything I did back then, everything I did before I escaped from Adam, I did based on this belief, Dusk. I believed it enough to fight. Enough to hurt people, enough to… enough to…"

Dusk's heart beat coldly in his chest. Because he knew what his mother would say next.

Dusk held tight to his mother's hand, steeled himself, then asked, "Have you killed people before?"

Blake let out a trembling, quaking breath. She nodded.

Dusk felt a chill run down his spine, felt his heart freeze for a moment, but then passed far quicker than even he had expected. Instead of horror or fear or disgust, Dusk felt another question arise naturally of its own volition. "Did you ever kill… innocent people-?"

" _No,_ " answered Blake. Dusk saw her golden irises steeled and stalwart as she met her son's gaze. "Never. I have only ever killed those who have tried to harm me or those I loved. And I mean that, baby. But still… I've killed before for… ugly reasons in the past. And… And their blood will be on my hands forever…"

Dusk believed his mother. He could see it in her eyes. He pressed himself close against her, nuzzled his head against her hip. He let out a trembling, but relieved sigh. Maybe she was a killer, but she was no murderer. And though he still felt inclined to tremble in her presence in some slight, remaining fear, he could muscle through it. _Not a murderer,_ Dusk reminded himself. _Thank the Gods my mama is not a murderer…_

Their next step was made in grass, and both Dusk and Blake realized they'd made it to the bottom of the stairs. Before them was a flowing sea of bright green sweetgrass stretching into a clearing overlooking the lake. Stray winds and breaths of air traced their paths through the grass, giving shape to shapeless forces.

"Wow," murmured Dusk.

They walked casually through the waves of rolling sweetgrass. It wasn't just a clearing. It was a hill overlooking a beachhead off in the distance.

And the closer they went towards the edge of the overlook, the clearer the rows of tombstones became.

Dusk reflexively pressed closer against his mother while they walked, and Blake accepted her son's presence by holding him close against her hip.

"Should we be here, mama?" asked Dusk.

Blake chuckled. "Be respectful. And don't touch anything."

Dusk nodded, continued with his mother.

The tombstones were old, very old; the first ones they came across being the oldest with their dates reaching back nearly two hundred and fifty years. It seemed they grew up from the earth, as though the bodies beneath warranted respect and dedication from the island soil itself. Walking by, Dusk noticed the writings and epitaphs were almost all kept in impeccable shape. Someone came here often to keep these tombstones from falling into decay.

 _(Not Grimbeorn; not the brother. The daughter of his sister is the one who frequents this place, though often in tears…)_

The impulse rattled Dusk. Blake felt her son's wavering and stopped immediately.

"Baby? You alright?" asked Blake.

"Mmhm, just… still sleepy… tired…"

"Alright. Let's just sit down then, kitten. This right here, this is a good spot to rest, to just sit down, okay?"

Dusk again nodded, falling with his mother to sit in a small area of low sweetgrass overlooking the island beachfront. He felt the solid presence of his mother as she sat down behind him, and reflexively, Dusk scooted back into her lap as her legs spread out on either side of him. Blake's arms enclosed securely about her son, and with a final gentle squirm, he settled into her embrace as easily as ever. The sight of the clouds of mist gliding across the water surface never failed to capture Dusk's wonder, and he enjoyed nature's display in the warm safety of his mother's company.

Blake once again pressed her lips against Dusk's scalp.

"Thanks, mama," murmured Dusk.

"Mmhm," hummed Blake, gently craning her neck to peck Dusk's cheek. "Anything for you, sweet pea…"

Dusk languished in his mother's affection, then felt another question come out from his lips all of its own accord. "Did you… know your mama and papa?"

Blake thought for a long, long time in silence. Just when Dusk wondered if she was going to answer, she spoke. "Enough for them to teach me a few lessons I'd never forget."

"Like what?" asked Dusk.

Blake's arms tightened around Dusk, and her hands brushed up and down his breast before settling above his heart.

"I've tried so hard to never forget it," said Blake. "But I think the best I've managed is to never forget it entirely. Because I have forgotten it. Too many times…"

"What was it, mama?" asked Dusk.

Blake's finger pressed against Dusk's exposed skin just above his shirt collar, causing him to gasp slightly from the contact.

"Do you know what the difference between good and evil is?" asked Blake.

Dusk shook his head.

The finger pressed against Dusk's chest traced gently down his sternum and over his shirt, as though to cut his heart in two.

"It's a line, Dusk," said Blake while she moved her finger down her son's chest. "The war between good and evil is a line driven down the middle of your heart. It shifts endlessly and changes its position all the time. One side gaining the advantage, then the other, and back and forth all the time inside of you…"

Blake's finger eased, and her palm splayed lovingly atop her son's gently beating heart. Dusk eased into his mother's solid presence once more.

"You are the one who decides where the line is drawn, sweet pea," said Blake. "Only you."

Dusk thought for a moment, then pressed his hand atop his mother's and asked, "But… what if I don't know where I should draw the line? What if it's hard to tell the difference between good things and bad things? What if… What if I don't _want_ to know the difference? Because if I do… then maybe something I care about might turn out to be…"

A wind blew through the fields of sweetgrass, tousling Dusk's golden locks in their gentle caress. Blake sighed, and again pressed her lips against Dusk's cheek in a reassuring and loving kiss.

"Then you tell the truth. No matter what you do, you tell the truth," whispered Blake. "Because when you're honest with yourself, you'll know what things are good, because you won't lie to yourself anymore about things."

"How does that work?" asked Dusk.

"Well…" Blake thought for a moment, then a smile blossomed across her lips. Without warning, she pressed her cheek against Dusk's and nuzzled him with vigorous affection. Dusk laughed quietly, and Blake hummed a gentle, loving chuckle at the sound of her son's happiness. "I look at you, Dusk. I look at you and I think of all the good things you are to me. And when I look at you and I'm honest with myself, I know I want nothing more than to do right by you. Because I know what the truth is, and I know the truth is that you are good, my beautiful little son…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Dusk could see his mother's eyes gently shut. Even with her shorter hair, he still found himself enraptured by her kind, glowing, maternal beauty. He had a feeling, something inexplicable telling him that… telling him that he'd asked his mother to tell him who she was, and that this was at least close to answering his question.

But still… he had to know more. And it wasn't enough for Dusk to just use his 'sight' to find out. Dusk wanted his mother to explain her secrets in her own words. He wanted his mother to acknowledge and understand what she was telling him, and he wanted her to do this more than anything else.

"You want me to tell the truth to know the differences between good and bad?" asked Dusk.

Blake nodded her head. "Mmhm."

Dusk winced, then said, "But… then why did you lie to us, mama?"

Blake inhaled a sharp, wounded breath and shook her head, remained silent.

"Why, mama? If you know you need to never lie, then why did you-?"

"I know, Dusk," said Blake. "I lied to you. To your sister, to… your father. And what I did was wrong; very, very wrong and thoughtless and… and cruel. None of you deserved the lies I've created. None of you deserve lies…"

"Then why did you do it?" asked Dusk, refusing to let up against his mother. "You hurt Dawn, you hurt papa, you've… you've…"

" _I know I've hurt you, goddamn it,_ " said Blake. "I know I've… I know what I must look like to you… and I deserve to not be trusted. I deserve… I…" Blake pressed her forehead against the back of Dusk's skull with a wretched sob, nuzzling it in soft nudges. "I lied to the man I love, I… I lied to my beautiful daughter, and…! _And I even lied to my own son…!_ "

Now Blake wept so powerfully, so forcefully, that it seemed she was on the verge of vomiting from her anguish. This pain she felt… it was far more than anything Dusk had ever felt coming from his mother – ever. She seemed about to fall apart at the seams, and he turned and threw his arms about her to keep her from shattering into a million pieces. Again, Blake accepted her son's embrace, held him close and didn't let go.

"I am not perfect, baby. And I don't expect you to be perfect," said Blake. "But I want you to be better than me. I don't want you to be manipulated by people or possessed by your beliefs into doing the awful things I did. You are so, so, _so_ much more than someone else's tool, Dusk. And I do not want you to _ever_ forget that, _do you understand me?_ "

Dusk nodded, his heart racing while tears raced down his soft cheeks. "I won't mama."

Blake's hands cupped Dusk's face to allow him to look his mother straight in the eyes. Her golden irises shimmered with a maternal love and pride Dusk had always been accustomed to seeing as a baby, and her smile at him glowed as though she were seeing him for the first time all over again.

"All I want for you, Dusk… is that you grow up to become a real, genuine young man. And to do that, you need get rid of the strings keeping you from living a good life as _you choose_ to live it…" Blake's voice broke here, and she gently pressed her forehead against Dusk's. "And it took so long for me to get rid of my goddamn strings that even after your father helped untangle me from them, there still ended up being one left over… And… that's why I lied again. I haven't lied in years. I'd had no need, but now… now it's like I've lost track of who I am all over again…"

Dusk was silent. He gently placed his hands atop his mother's, pressed against her forehead and nuzzled her gently.

Blake felt the gesture and gave a tearful laugh. She lifted her head to press her lips against his forehead, saying softly, "You are a _blessing_ , kitten. Your father and I couldn't be prouder to be yours and Dawn's mama and papa. And I am _honored_ that your father graced me with the most wonderful daughter and son I could have ever hoped to bear…"

Dusk blushed, languishing in the gentle strokes of his mother's fingers along his cheeks. Unconsciously, he felt his throat vibrate with a quaint and pleasant purr. It wasn't long before he felt Blake's arms pull him close against her chest again, and he felt the familiar deep, luxuriant purr hum out from his mother's chest to soothe his nerves.

"I have just one wish for you, my beautiful little son. Just one."

Dusk glanced up. Blake craned her neck and kissed Dusk's forehead, long and careful and caring.

"I want you to become whoever you choose to be, and become a man who is good and free and true to himself and to others. What I want more than anything else… for you and your sister… is to be happy and free. And I know it'll be hard, and I know there'll be temptations and doubts and lies and pain along the way. And I know you will sometimes get lost, and you will get weak and you will stumble and fall. But you must not ever give up. And you must not let others stop you from becoming all that you can become. No matter what happens, sweet pea, I want you to live and strive and struggle for the good in this world. And to not lie like I did. To not trick yourself or others with your beliefs. To not become weak with lies. To not make yourself vulnerable to people who want nothing more than to use you."

A moment's pause. Blake sighed and rested her chin on Dusk's shoulder, brushing her cheek with his as she drank in his presence with a smile.

"You are no puppet, Dusk Wukong. You are _my son_ , and _you are free_ ," said Blake. "And don't you ever, _ever_ forget that."

Dusk nuzzled closer against his mother. "I won't, mama. Never."

Blake glanced at her son with a smile. "Promise me you won't?"

Dusk turned up his head and kissed his mother's cheek. "Promise."

Blake kissed Dusk's cheek again. "I love you, Dusk. So very, very, very much."

Dusk squirmed deeper into his mother's embrace and lay still for a very long time, warm and content. Blake's fingers kneaded slowly, gently through his wild gold locks in a soothing, rhythmic motion and Dusk felt for the first time since his arrival an aura of genuine safety envelop him. It seemed, without his knowing, Dusk had come to terms with the woman his mother was and still is. She was a warrior. A scholar. A rebel. A terrorist. A defector.

A loner.

A hero.

A criminal.

A lover.

A mother.

 _His_ mother.

Dusk smiled, then dipped his head to rest comfortably against his mother's chest.

In the end, after everything that happened, his mother had remained his mother.

And Dusk was relieved beyond words when he realized, from the bottom of his heart, this would never, ever change about his mama.

And he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that that was indeed a good thing.

xXx

Grimbeorn was waiting out on the patio when he saw Blake returning up the stairs with a sleeping Dusk carried in her arms. He took a long drag of his pipe, savoring the flavor and potency before exhaling a long and wizened cloud.

Blake saw her old master just a few steps ahead of her, saw him smoking, then shook her head with a scolding look in her eye.

Grimbeorn huffed a small chuckle, tapped his pipe empty against a nearby column. "I was only just finishing up, anyways."

Blake froze beside her master. "You mean… the interrogation?"

"No, my tobacco. But we finished with that, too."

Blake winced. "And Goldberry… helped you?"

Grimbeorn shrugged. "She chose to."

"Why?"

Grimbeorn fleetingly gestured at Dusk. "They put him in danger. Goldberry isn't exactly happy about that, especially since it happened under her watch."

"It isn't her fault, what happened."

"No, and I told her that, but, well…" Grimbeorn sighed, placed his hands on his hips. "She's like her mother that way. Insistent. Stubborn."

"Willful," said Blake, glancing down at her son's serene face while he slept. She bounced Dusk slightly to better hold him, then looked back at Grimbeorn. "What did you find out? Anything useful?

At that moment, Dusk stirred and took in an audible breath. Parting from his mother's shoulder, Dusk yawned a big wallop of air as he rubbed his eyes with his little fists.

Grimbeorn smiled and nodded a small greeting at Dusk. "Hello, young master Wukong. Did you get any rest?"

Dusk nodded with a sleepy smile, and Grimbeorn's bearded smile grew as he bowed in acknowledgement. "Good to know, good to know. I'll begin making dinner soon so please, relax with your mother inside."

Dusk again nodded, then pressed himself back against his mother with a yawn. "Thank you, master Grimbeorn…"

Grimbeorn gave another courteous nod at Dusk. Blake bounced Dusk in her arms and began to walk inside when Grimbeorn stopped her with a hand on her free shoulder.

" _Later,"_ he mouthed to Blake.

Blake nodded in understanding, and walked into the manor with her beloved son in her arms.

xXx

"You've raised him well, Blake," said Grimbeorn. He watched his former student as she stroked her hands across Dusk's sleeping face, caressing and cradling the boy's head in her lap.

Dinner had gone as well as one could have expected. Dusk was ravenously hungry from not having eaten breakfast or lunch, and ate the Tonkotsu ramen Grimbeorn made for dinner with intense zeal and gratitude. As his mother before him, and Blake's mother before her, Dusk of course loved the ramen and thanked him graciously. Grimbeorn admired the boy's maturity in that way; particularly the attention the boy paid to the stories he told of Blake when she was her son's age impressed the old swordsman. The boy hung on every word, understood much of which he spoke, and, well… it became clear to Grimbeorn this boy was one of a kind. And knowing a part of the boy's unusual perceptiveness had indeed been inherited from his former pupil, he couldn't help but watch Blake with a sliver of fatherly pride he hadn't known he still had.

He'd had many expectations for Kali Belladonna's daughter, so many things he'd expected her to become, but expected Blake to embrace the role of a mother last before anything else. But alas, here she was. And there her son was; a beautiful and kindly little boy who looked exactly like her, who'd gained his mother's willfulness but thankfully carried less of the arresting passions which so completely possessed Blake back in her youth. This boy, Blake's son and heir, was already so much more than just his pupil's offspring. It amazed Grimbeorn and filled him with pride at the same time.

But he could see Blake's expression clearly. All her thoughts, all her emotions, all her interests and concerns centered and orbited around the napping Dusk. And judging from the look of worry on Blake's face, Grimbeorn knew her reaction to his compliment was not positive.

"I put him in grave danger, is what I did," said Blake. "I should've turned back around the instant I knew he'd stowed away, but I didn't. I…"

"You neglected to educate him of his heritage," said Grimbeorn. "Why?"

Blake shut her eyes in a grimace. "I didn't mean to not tell them, I just… I was so happy with my family that I just… forgot to tell them."

"Had Adam not passed, would you have never told them of your history?" asked Grimbeorn.

Again, Blake shook her head. "I don't know."

Now Grimbeorn wore a grimace, aimed at Blake. "You would neglect to tell them of your mother and father? Just because it's… uncomfortable for you?"

"I didn't want my children involved in the things I left behind years ago," said Blake. "Forgive me if I wish for my son and daughter to become their own people, away from the threats on their lives like what's already happened to my son."

"Your children, if you haven't already noticed, are far more perceptive and inquisitive than they let on," said Grimbeorn. "If it wasn't in this manner, Blake, Dusk especially would have looked for the truth some other way. And as dangerous as your first night here was, I guarantee there'd be worse consequences for that little boy had he not come here with you at his side. If I were you, I'd count myself lucky you're here for his journey rather than had he faced all this alone."

"What are you saying, master? That Dusk would come here all on his own with or without me? You seriously believe he would be capable of doing that at his age?"

Grimbeorn took a drink of sake, then gestured at Blake with a wry smirk. "He _did_ outsmart you once already, in case you've forgotten."

"He's _seven,_ " said Blake, taking her own drink of sake before pouring more into hers and her master's cups.

As soon as his cup was full, Grimbeorn threw the cup to his lips, drank down the liquor in one gulp, then pointed at Blake with a piercing, honest glare. "I don't care if he's five or _fifty_ ; he's easily as sharp – if not sharper than you were at his age. And you are gonna need to start respecting that truth if you want any hope of not losing him to the winds of change. Because I talked with him, Blake, and, well…"

Blake glanced up at her old master. "What'd he say?"

Grimbeorn thought for a moment, then put his cup down onto the table with a tired sigh. "Dusk knows when you're lying and when you're telling the truth. And you are going to need to speak with that boy assuming he already knows what's wrong. Because he likely will know already."

Blake shook her head, confused. "Master, what-?"

"Blake, _your son is no fool, okay?_ Lying to him like you lied to your family about coming here will not work with Dusk. The only thing that works with Dusk is the truth; the cold, hard truth. Anything less and, well, you'll lose him. Do it too much, and you risk losing him for good. I guarantee you."

Blake looked at her master incredulously for a few moments, then turned back down to her sleeping son. "What did he tell you…?"

Grimbeorn poured another glass of sake into his cup. "He didn't need to tell me anything. I told _him_ about his grandmother and his lineage and the way he reacted was all I needed to understand what was troubling him about you."

"He has our chessboard," said Blake.

Grimbeorn forcibly put the sake bottle back down and glared at Blake. "No matter what you say or think, it _is his birthright_ -"

"I'm not taking it from him," said Blake. Dusk giggled in his sleep as Blake rubbed behind his kitten ears, and Blake beamed a soft, gentle smile down at her son. "He's… mature enough to bear its significance."

Grimbeorn drank another glass of sake, then gestured at Blake again. "He chose to keep it, I hope you know."

"And I'm glad he did. I wouldn't want it forced upon him like… it was forced upon me."

Silence for a moment. While Blake stroked Dusk's head, she noticed the wooden sparring katana he'd taken with him during their walk and, all at once, realized what made it seem so unusually familiar to her.

"Is that… what I think it is?" Blake leaned far over, taking care not to disturb Dusk, and held the katana in her grip. "This sword… it's the one I used when I was Dusk's age…"

"And you want to know something, Blake?" asked Grimbeorn. Blake held the blade still and looked back to her master. Grimbeorn gestured at it with a wizened smile. "I had him wield two blades against me; Adam's, then yours."

Blake stared at Grimbeorn for a moment, then glanced down again at Dusk as he peacefully slept.

"He didn't like how Adam's blade felt in his hand," said Grimbeorn. "And he chose your blade all on his own."

Blake couldn't speak. She could only watch her son as she came to understand him in a way she had never known before. Her master was right. Dusk was becoming so much more than just her son. He was truly… becoming someone she hadn't had the strength to become when she was his age; his own individual.

Again, Blake combed her fingers through Dusk's hair. She felt her breaths hitch and quiver, and she told herself she wouldn't cry again. She didn't want to wake him from his sleep.

"Blake… I understand how you feel about bringing him here, but I'd say you need to see this as more than just a mistake," said Grimbeorn. "I think, in all complete honesty, Dusk was… _meant_ to come here. To see all of this firsthand."

Blake wiped the latent tears from her eyes. She didn't want to agree with her master. How could she? After all, she'd lied to her husband, to her daughter, and even to her own son. And she knew her lies were the reason her son had stowed away. For all intents and purposes, all the danger she'd placed herself and her son in stemmed directly from her decision to lie and deceive her family. She should not have come. She should have brought her son back home that night and left this all behind for good.

Blake understood all this.

And yet… there was something more.

Blake rolled her eyes shut, sighed. "Was it difficult for you, Master? To raise Goldberry?"

Grimbeorn chuckled. "She was like you and Dusk in that way, too."

"In what way?"

"She was very much like her mother."

Blake caressed her son's head, silently beaming with a gentle pride. "Well… I thank the Gods that he has enough of his father in him that that isn't entirely the case."

"In what way?"

"His smile. His laugh." Blake ran her fingers through Dusk's golden curls, smiling all the while. "His good heart. And his free spirit."

Silence again. This silence was longer than the rest. Grimbeorn was the one who broke it.

"Dogen will know his assassins failed," said Grimbeorn. "What he'll do next, I have no clue."

Blake lifted her gaze from her son to Grimbeorn. "Do they know about…?"

Grimbeorn shook his head. "You were their mark. Dusk, as far as I can tell, is off their radar. For the time being, that is."

Blake ruminated on this new information for a moment, then asked, "What do we do next?"

"I," said Grimbeorn with a patriarchal authority elevating the tone and tenor of his voice, "will inform the other houses of Dogen's brazen trespass on Clan Mistborn's ancestral lands, and invoke my right as Mistborn Chieftian to declare Dogen a renegade to be hunted down and brought before me dead or alive."

A chill ran down Blake's spine from the declaration, and she took a quiet breath before nodding a thankful bow towards her master. "Th-Thank you, Master…"

"And first thing tomorrow morning, I want you to signal your smuggler and let him know you need to be extracted," said Grimbeorn, lifting his cup to his lips as he spoke. "You are not staying here any longer. Not while your son runs the risk of being caught in the crossfire."

Blake was stunned from her master's frankness. It wasn't a suggestion. It wasn't a play on words. Blake knew when her master was issuing her an order, and this was an order.

A myriad of emotions swelled beneath her chest. But her knowledge of her master's ways kept it locked inside her, and Blake could only kneel and face her devastation in complete and utter solitude. She wanted to agree, but couldn't bring herself to say the words. She wanted to object, but couldn't possibly muster up the courage to so much as suggest she and her son remain.

Blake had to take Dusk back home. They were both in danger while they were here, and for all intents and purposes, there was no rational reason for her to wish to remain any longer. She'd brought her son into harm's way and now she would pay for that mistake by leaving prior to Adam's funeral. She'd brought this upon herself. It was the only option left for her to take.

But something still felt wrong.

 _("You'll leave it behind for good this time, right?")_

Ruby's voice echoed in Blake's memory. She held a hand to her head, shaking it with a tentative sigh.

"You can't be serious, Blake," said Grimbeorn.

"I just…" Blake breathed a sharp, almost pained breath as she wracked her brain to fully articulate what she thought and felt, only coming up with frustration. "Something's… Something about it all just doesn't feel as simple as leaving or staying…"

"How much simpler do you want me to put it?" asked Grimbeorn. "Dogen is a renegade element and that places both you and your son at risk for whenever he attacks again. And rest assured, Dogen will attack again."

Blake grimaced and shut her eyes. How could she say it? How selfish was she being? She wished her answer was the correct one. She wished, but the truth of a childhood lived and remembered remained fixed in her mind.

 _(Her memories of Adam weren't trifling, weren't things she could just lay aside.)_

Blake sighed with a sharp breath, shook her head, still saying nothing.

 _(Because the Adam she'd understood, the Adam she missed was real. He was real in a time when she'd so vitally needed the company of someone she could accept as family. Where there were classmates, squadmates, comrades, and her master, Adam had chosen to be her brother when he could have easily left her to fate's designs.)_

 _(And as Dusk dreamed, he could see these things, these feelings, these realities which sat at the core of the universe comprising his mother's Aura; all under such vicious assault from guilt, doubt, and other dark forces manufactured by Blake's fearful mind. And Dusk knew what his mother had felt with Adam at her side. He'd been able to grow up with such a feeling; was blessed enough to know the joy of having a loving sibling there to be a guiding light in dark times.)_

 _(That kind of feeling, Dusk knew, couldn't just be pushed aside. Couldn't be just parted with or left behind so easily. Such a feeling required closure, and Dusk knew the one and only way such closure could be achieved for his mother.)_

 _(And finally understanding what he would do, and what he would say, Dusk decided to remain silent no longer.)_

Slowly, Blake opened her eyes, and was shocked to see Dusk's eyes open as he laid in her lap. He wasn't looking at her, but by the focused expression he bore, Blake knew he'd been listening to their conversation with a clear understanding.

Fear gripped Blake. Had he understood her reluctance to leave as meaning she cared more for Adam's funeral than for his own safety? Blake took in a long, measured breath, and ejected such thoughts from her mind. _Of course he knows you want to stay,_ she thought. _Master Grimbeorn was right; I can't be anything but honest with him._

 _No more lies._

Blake exhaled slowly, then brushed her hand across Dusk's forehead, letting him know she knew he was awake and listening. Feeling the gesture, Dusk stirred, lifted himself upright, and sat in _seiza_ beside his mother. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, then looked up to meet Grimbeorn's gaze without fear or hesitation.

Grimbeorn lifted his chin, a small gesture of respect to the boy for meeting his eyes like a man. "You've been listening."

Dusk's eyes flicked down, then returned to Grimbeorn. He nodded.

"Then you must know your mother doesn't appear to want to return home despite the risks to your life you incur should you remain."

"That's-!" said Blake. But glancing sideways at Dusk, Blake's interjection lost its strength almost instantly. Her lips clasped shut immediately, and she lowered her face down and away from her son in shame.

Dusk could see her hands folding and fidgeting in her lap, as though-

 _(Gods, I want to stay, but… I am so, so selfish… I'm so sorry, Dusk. I'm… I'm horrible…)_

-they were at war with each other.

Dusk's eyes flickered down to his own hands while he thought to himself.

"I made a promise to your grandparents that so long as your mother was in my care, I'd do everything in my power to keep her safe and care for her. And I won't lie, Dusk. I can no longer guarantee yours or your mother's safety while you are in my home." Grimbeorn paused for a moment and took a strained, almost pained breath as though coming to terms with his own truth. Then, when he calmed, he looked back to Dusk, meeting his gaze again. "I want you and your mother to return to Umbra Valley before Dogen is likely to strike again. And I want you to convince your mother to do this _now. Do I make myself clear, Dusk Wukong?_ "

Dusk swallowed, a shiver scratching a bolt down his spine. He could imagine the very air around the dinner table submitting to the old master's authority. The reasonable, rational part of Dusk's mind felt tempted to acquiesce to Grimbeorn's order.

An order. It wasn't a hard one. Looking to his side, Blake kept her face turned down and away from Dusk's sight. She appeared as one does when anticipating a whip's lash across the back, or a cold slap across the face; waiting for a duly-deserved punishment from their crushing guilt.

It would be so easy…

Dusk shimmied closer to his mother, his shoulder pressing against her arm as she gasped from the contact. He nuzzled close against her, and as he reached down to clasp her hand in his, Dusk felt his mother press close to plant her trembling lips against his temple.

"I'll leave for you, kitten," Blake whispered into Dusk's golden curls. "Just say it and… and I'll message the smuggler tomorrow to come back and take us home…"

" _No._ "

The declaration was so sudden, so resolute, that both Blake and Grimbeorn had thought it was just something they'd imagined. But as Dusk moved from his mother to stand tall before the two, both Blake and Grimbeorn understood that had indeed been Dusk who'd just spoken.

"My mom wants to stay so she can bury Mister Adam, and until she's done that, I'm not leaving this island," said Dusk, still clenching Blake's hand in his. "I've decided I want her to stay, and I want to stay with her, so that's that."

xXx

 **A/N: And that's why this chapter took so long to get right.**

 **There's a lot of philosophy I learned over the course of this year which I wanted to fit into Dusk's development from being a child into the mature boy he is starting to become at the chapter's end. And at the risk of congratulating myself too hard, I think I did a stellar job despite the mediocre writing abilities I currently possess.**

 **I have not yet started writing the next chapter, but will be getting on it very soon.**

 **All I ask, once more, is for your patience. Though I will try my absolute hardest to have another chapter in by the end of the new RWBY season, I make absolutely no guarantees.**

 **Again, I am writing all this for ya'll because I do very so much love writing for ya'll. Dawn and Dusk are two beautiful kids whom I enjoy writing with all my heart, and I want nothing more than to finish this story with all of my best writing effort placed behind it.**

 **As always, if you want to get into contact with me at all, look for my username on Tumblr; "youweremeanttobehere"; and feel free to PM me about anything and everything!**

 ***(Chapter Soundtrack)***

" _ **Heart of a Lion" –**_ **Kid Cudi,** _ **"Man On The Moon: The End Of Day"**_

" _ **While My Lady Sleeps" –**_ **Chet Baker,** _ **"It Could Happen To You"**_

" _ **The Things We Did Last Summer" –**_ **Bengt Hallberg,** _ **"Bengt Hallberg Trio & Quartet"**_

" _ **A Taste of Honey – Live" –**_ **Paul Desmond,** _ **"Greatest Hits Series – Paul Desmond"**_

" _ **Hearts A Mess" –**_ **Gotye,** _ **"Like Drawing Blood"**_

" _ **Adventure Of A Lifetime (Cover Gabriella)" –**_ **Gabriella,** _ **"Coldplay – Adventure Of A Lifetime (Cover Gabriella)" (YouTube Only)**_

" _ **Bicameral Mind" –**_ **Ramin Djawadi,** _ **"Westworld: Season 1 (Original Soundtrack)"**_

" _ **From The Beginning" –**_ **Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, **_**"Trilogy"**_

 **Thanks a septillion once again for your readership and patience.**

 **Until next time, hopefully not to long this time,**

 **M. E. Grimm**


End file.
